The spread of Labour Law beyond its boundaries. A strategy to advance effective equality

Abstract

This study analyses the capacity of labour law to project its advances in the field of equality and non-discrimination beyond its traditional subjective scope. Such projection is particularly evident in the context of work organised through cooperatives, a business model whose identity is rooted in values such as equality and democratic participation. Notwithstanding these foundational principles, the study identifies the persistence of gender gaps in access, career progression, and the working conditions of worker-members and employeemembers. The reform of the national legal framework governing these entities, implemented through Law 1/2026 of 8 April on the Comprehensive Promotion of the Social Economy, introduces a systematic and coherent regulation of cooperative equality plans. This development reinforces the central thesis advanced herein regarding the expansive normative influence of labour law and its contribution to the advancement of substantive equality.