Cultural Differences Term Paper

Cultural Differences With Spain

In June 2001, the United States and Spain signed a declaration celebrating their "traditional relations." The declaration pledged, among others, to strengthen the economic and financial cooperation between Spain and the United States.

Since then, more businesses based in the United States have opened offices in various locations in Spain. Manufacturing giant SC Johnson & Son Inc. And New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough both have offices in Madrid. SDRC, a software-company based in Ohio, has offices in Madrid (Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce).

More and more, the United States is recognizing Spain's growing financial and economic role in Europe and Latin America.

Despite a shared history and increased economic cooperation, the United States and Spain have distinct cultures and customs. An understanding of these cultural boundaries can be invaluable to American companies doing business in Spain. This paper looks at the key cultural differences and their ramifications for companies doing business in Spain.

Unlike the United States, Spain defines itself as a deeply Catholic country. More than 90% of the population identifies itself as Catholic. As a result, the Catholic Church enjoys tremendous popularity among the public and is able to exercise strong political pressure on the government (CIA World Factbook).

The Bureau of Democracy Division of the U.S. Department of State notes the continued presence of racism and xenophobia, manifested in discrimination and violence against minorities. A survey conducted in 2000 found that Spaniards identified closely with people from Western Europe and Latin America but were far less accepting of immigrants from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa (Bureau of Democracy).In 2000, the Council of Europe observed a resurgence of ultranationalism that is manifested in greater harassment and intolerance towards the Roma, Africans and Arabs. There were also several reports of attacks against immigrants, which were attributed to rightwing youth groups (Country Report on Spain).

As in the United States, there are laws prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace in Spain. However, though almost 400 sexual harassment complaints were filed with the police, very few were brought to trial. The Bureau of Democracy also observes that although specifically prohibited by law, "discrimination in the workplace and in hiring practices persisted" (Country Report on Spain). Another study of 100 labor union contracts showed that almost half failed to use gender-neutral language. Twenty percent of the contracts used gender-specific job titles and women's salaries were an average 30% less than their male counterparts (Country Report on Spain).

Spain's Constitution mandates fair access to employment, public facilities and transportation for people with disabilities. The Spanish government subsidizes companies that employ people with physical or mental disabilities. However, the national law is only as a guide for regional laws. Assistance and access vary from region to region and, in many areas, have not improved at all (Country Report on Spain).

Spain is a signatory….....