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The BasicsPolitics & Economy
- Since its peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 and entry into the European Union (EU) in 1986, Spain has experienced rapid economic modernization.
- Today, Spain’s mixed capitalist economy is considered one of the most dynamic economies in Europe, though unemployment remains at a high 8.1%.
- The minority Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party government was elected in March 2004. The government is led by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
The Stats:The Population Population: 40,448,191 Pop. growth rate: 0.116% Birth rate (per 1,000): 9.98 births Fertility rate (children born per woman): 1.98
The Economy GDP: $1.084 trillion GDP growth rate: 3.90% Per capita income: $27,400 Unemployment rate: 8.10% Poverty rate: 19.80%
The Workforce Labor force: 21.58 million By sector Agriculture: 5.30% Industry: 30.10% Services: 64.60% Female labor force participation: 55.70% Male labor force participation: 81.10% Percent of women working part-time: 16.50% Percent of men working part-time: 2.50% Pecent of children 3 to mandatory school-age in formal child care: 84% Work-Life in Spain:National Work Policies Paid maternity leave: 16 weeks at 100% of salary Paid paternity leave: 15 days (in the next years 30 days), independently of the mother Unpaid maternity leave: Up to 3 years To read about our experiences in Spain, check out these blogs: "Lessons Learned: A Retrospective of Gross Generalizations" "Report from Madrid: How does the US and Spain Compare?" "Bethany Holmes Reports from Spain: Americans Push, Spaniards Nudge" "Parents of Horizontal Children" "Stability Seekers: Smarties or Sloths?" "Conservative Spanish Politician Says: Spend More Time at Home!" "Equality and Laws Thereof" "Bienvenidos a Espana"
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