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In Spain, at the very beginning of the democratic process, the question of gender relations and social protection was initially raised in terms of equal opportunities for men and women. This article retraces relevant multi-dimensional and multilevel developments in this respect, since the promulgation of the Constitution in 1978 up to the present day. More specifically, it highlights the dynamic processes at work in terms of integrating gender equality issues. The authors first describe the conditions under which these processes emerge and, subsequently, they focus on the construction of a care policy – between legislative norms and decentralised services. Particular attention is then devoted to recent institutional developments, induced by the Gender Equality Law enacted in 2007, at central and local levels. While today, this law as well as the 2006 Law on Dependency tend to show that the social state in Spain is “de-familised”, such recent developments may prove fragile in times of budget constraints and rising unemployment.