Voces del Prado

Javier Morales. Defence of equality

María Merino Cabrera, Clerical Support, 1977-2004

The personnel who made up the jury when I took my examination to enter the Museum included the secretary at the time, a lady called Dolores if I remember correctly, and Mr. Javier Morales. Right from the start he was among those who protected me, so to say, being as I was the first woman in the Special Unit of Subordinates. There were many women but they were in offices or in the cafeteria, which was closed for reform at the time, but there were women in the staff. I was the first woman to enter through a competitive exam. Among my colleagues, there were some who accepted you and others who just didn't. There had never been any women there and they considered it should remain that way.
Javier, however, had been in Israel, at a kibbutz or something along those lines. There he saw that women and men could perform the same tasks and I enjoyed his protection virtually from the start. We had a good relationship, a good friendship, during the time he lasted here and even afterwards, because he would send us invitations for the concert at the Royal Palace and things like that.
The workday then ended at lunch time and many of us had some other job to boost our income. I was offered a post at the "Velázquez" exhibition at the Palace of Velázquez at the Retiro and I came upon a stumbling block because they wouldn't accept me there being a woman. Then Javier Morales called them and told them that if I couldn't work there, neither could the men.
Colleagues such as Paco, Santiago or Serafín were pleased to have me working with them but others looked at me and would say, "There have never been any women here. You won't last long." I don't think I could have lasted any longer than I did. And many of them have their daughters working here now. Today there are more women than men in the museum halls. It's just the way it is, things change.