Women in the City

They built the neighborhoods. They held the families together. And their story has never been told.

Women in the City explores a generation of Spanish women who shaped the suburban districts that emerged across Spain during the rapid urban expansion of the 1970s. In a country undergoing profound social, political and cultural transformation, these women became the silent backbone of communities on the outskirts of major cities.

Through the lives of families in three working class neighborhoods, the series uncovers how these women sustained their households, organized community networks, fought for public services and carved out spaces of dignity in environments often overlooked by the institutions meant to support them.

Their stories illuminate key themes (gender, caregiving, education, urban planning, or community activism) and reveal a crucial yet rarely acknowledged chapter of Spain’s recent history. Their testimonies help us understand how modern Spanish society was built from the margins, and how their legacy continues to shape the country today.

A moving and essential portrait of the women who transformed not only their neighborhoods, but the very fabric of Spain over the last 50 years.