Signs of the times

last updated 8 January 2015

Fuenlabrada, Spain

The town of Fuenlabrada has clothed half the stick figures on its signage in skirts, as part of a countrywide push for gender balance. And half the crossing lights in town now flash little green women on their walk signs rather than little green men. "The fact that the image of women is seen appearing on something like this, even if it is just a traffic sign, is important because gender equality is a lot to do with the way we transmit information," says Rosalina Guijarro, a town council member. Earlier this year, the national government drafted an affirmative action law aimed at ending gender discrimination.