She is one of the first members of Sostre Cívic and is now a resident of princess 49, located in the Born district, in the middle of the gentrified center of Barcelona. A pioneering cooperative housing project in Catalonia. Chus has never believed in private property and has always been closely linked to feminism, now she is a volunteer coordinator at the Ana Bella Foundation of women survivors of gender violence.

How did you decide to live in cooperative housing?
I'm from Montcada and Reixac and at that time I had to get married in the village, live in the village because, of course, you don't move from here... We couldn't even go by train alone or with friends to Barcelona. Once I was walking with my mother downtown and we passed a bookstore and I saw a globe. I became so obsessed that in the end they had to buy it for me. I saw myself in a very small space compared to the world, which was huge. And I wanted to see it, live it. I became independent when I was 23-24. I didn't want to have a home to buy and, before, not having a home to buy was frowned upon. And I said that if I bought an apartment, I wouldn't be able to travel... and I went to rent. I was working in an administrative company and that's how I started. I didn't want to own properties because I felt like a free spirit, I believed that the more properties, the more ties.

And what did you do next?
I have traveled to many countries, but Ethiopia changed my life. The strength those women have is incredible... I always thought that if they could, so could I. You see that people who have nothing are happy. I decided that I no longer wanted to live in a consumer society: we have more of everything than we need. I also decided that I wanted to work with women's issues and did a Master's Degree in Non-Profit Management. I was living in a very large flat in the Eixample and I had to rent rooms because the price was going up and it was too much for me. The president of the foundation where I started working told me that she knew a guy, Raül, who was in a housing cooperative. He introduced it to me and I was one of the first members of Sostre Cívic. Princesa 49 is a pioneer in Catalonia.

What is cooperative housing as a concept for you?
It is a safer option than renting, because sometimes they charge you so much that you then have to leave, as happened to me. The cooperative conscience must be very supportive, very empathetic with the neighbors. We are in a society where what predominates is the jo from a very capitalist perspective: I think, I think... To enter such a home is to share, to yield, to empathize with your neighbors. It is a more familiar system of life, apart from the fact that everyone has their own private space, but they depend a lot on others.

What advantages does it have?
This home has many advantages, it gives you security, they can't evict you, they can't increase your right of use, on the contrary... when we pay what the reform entailed, the price will drop! We work with ethical banking as well. All this gives you a lot of peace of mind, but it still takes a lot of mentality. Housing moves a lot of money and councils should give more land to build...

How do you think the layout of the house influences making the house more or less feminist?
Kitchens must be open, not closed and small... a much more shared space, like mine. My friends come here and if we have lunch or whatever, I have the big table and we are all collaborating instead of me in the closed kitchen and not enjoying the company... The configuration of the space of a conventional home of sometimes has entrances with many nooks and crannies and it has been verified that in this type of entrance you can be raped.

What is needed, then, for there to be a gender perspective in a home?
For there to be a gender perspective in a home, a lot of awareness is needed, even in co-operative type homes. Sometimes we get too carried away by the capitalist housing system and sacrifices have to be made here. I'm now in charge of the fifth on the topic of cleaning. Organizing in this way also means empathizing with the other person: having time to coordinate, etc. Having the will to do things... This for the internal part, but of course there must be a gender perspective on a general scale. It materializes in houses, but what about accessing housing? Men have it much easier than women because they have higher wages, they don't have an education in roles like the one we've been given to women: the one who washes, the one who cooks, the one who cleans, the one who takes care of the children , to the parents, to the in-laws... All this is closely linked to housing.

What does it take to move forward as a society in terms of housing and feminism?
Many things have to happen: that women have the same salary, the same knowledge as men... Until there is reconciliation and an equal gender perspective among couples, access to housing is also very difficult because the woman depends a lot on the man, she has to take leave, take care of the children if they have any problems... Then they get tired of it because you are no longer the same, of course... if you are working all day or with the kids! There are no homes for women who have suffered gender-based violence. There is a long way to go in terms of gender perspective in housing, equality must prevail at home.

What feminist perspective is there in Princesa 49?
At first we didn't have a feminist perspective, but I already had this innate condition in me. The others end up seeing it because cooperative housing is already that. The groups were established according to the number of members. The process was very hard because of course, each person is the way they are and each has their priorities. As it is a very democratic way of doing things, we have to agree to everything.

And how is cooperation in your group?
The Covid-19 pandemic, for example, I'm doing great thanks to them. I have arrhythmia problems and I had to watch and they helped me a lot: with the shopping, we give each other things that we sometimes cook like cakes, broths... We share the tasks in groups, each of them reserves the common spaces if they need them, give notice in time and that's it. We take care of the girls who have some, if the weather is nice we go up to the terrace in the sun, if someone has problems with something, we support each other... Whatever suits! It is very familiar. In addition, the families there are very egalitarian: both he and she share everything and do everything equally. Cooperative housing already puts you in this mindset.