The two faces of the veil of equality: silencing and affirmative action policies

Abstract

Marcela Lagarde warned us about the existence of a veil of equality understood as an illusion that promotes an inadequate and false reading of the presence of women in public spaces. This veil hides the true structural inequality and favors a superficial interpretation of the advances in gender equality. In this paper, our aim is to show how this veil of equality is present in higher-education institutions in the design of two strategies against gender inequality, namely: affirmative action policies and the protocols for preventing and tackling gender-based violence. As we will argue, the problematic formal character of both strategies can reinforce the veil of equality instead of acting against it, and it gives way to new problems such as a new form of silencing.