Crossed identities: Masculinity, femininity, religion, class and youth in the YCW during the sixties

Abstract

In the sixties, an age of profound social change, political tensions and religious crisis, the evolution of gender identities in the YCW (Young Christian Workers) was influenced by intersectionality with other categories such as class, religion and youth. In this relevant Catholic Action organization, femininity and masculinity were constructed in relation to each other, first from complementarity discourse and then from the demand for equality between women and men. Work experience, Christian commitment and juvenile rebellion led to significant changes in the gender identities of YCW militants. These identities were also influenced by a change in religious discourse which originally sought a Catholic reconquest of Spanish society but moved towards dialogue with other political cultures and participation in the social and political movements which were undermining the francoist dictatorship.