FC Barcelona employees attend talk on Mental Health and Gender in the Workplace

Today, October 10th, is World Mental Health Day, a date promoted by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) since 1992. This year, the theme is "It is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace." As part of the initiative, FC Barcelona's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department, along with its Equality Committee, held a talk yesterday for workers to address these issues.

The session, held in the 1899 Auditorium, was led by Maria Amparo Ferrero Lucena, a Mental Health and Workplace Stigma specialist with a master's degree in Gender and Equality Policies from Obertament, an association dedicated to dealing with the problems caused in these areas.

During the session, various stereotypes and prejudices associated with mental health in the workplace were discussed, along with biases related to gender identities. It was emphasized that the stigma surrounding these issues may prevent individuals from speaking about their challenges. Women, men, and non-binary people experience different forms of stigmatization due to gender norms. As a result, women tend to seek more support and speak openly (52%), but 86.7% hide their difficulties. Only 40% of men seek help, with 67.6% concealing their problems. Additionally, only 36% of non-binary individuals feel they can openly discuss their mental health.

Committed to equality

FC Barcelona approved its first Equality Plan in 2013, seven years before equality legislation became mandatory for companies with more than 150 workers. This made the club a pioneer in the development and adoption of such measures, and it continues to work to remain at the forefront in this area. On March 6th, the club signed its third Equality Plan between Men and Women, which includes a gender perspective in all its actions and incorporates the update of two protocols: the Protocol for the Prevention and Handling of Workplace Harassment and the Protocol for the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Harassment, as well as harassment based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. This reinforces the club's commitment to effective equality between men and women and non-discrimination against LGTBI individuals.

About Obertament

Obertament is an organization dedicated to campaigning against the stigmas of mental health, including a focus on such issues in the workplace and the need to improve corporate culture, as well as raising awareness in society at large.