Rumor – A statue called “The Woman Who Does Nothing,” located in Zaragoza, honors women’s domestic work.
Analysis
A powerful image has been circulating on social media and messaging groups recently. The photo shows a detailed sculpture of a woman carrying a monumental load on her back: brooms, buckets, a washing machine, and other household utensils, while children cling to her clothes. The text accompanying the photo claims that the monument is named “The Woman Who Does Nothing” and is supposedly installed in a public square in the city of Zaragoza, Spain.
The narrative carries a strong emotional appeal, describing the work as a necessary tribute to unpaid domestic labor—the “invisible effort” that sustains families’ daily lives but is rarely celebrated or even noticed by society. According to the posts, the statue is an invitation to reflect on the female role and the importance of domestic care. Check out the text of the content circulating online:
Version 1: This statue is located in the city of Zaragoza, Spain, and is called “The Woman Who Does Nothing,” as a critique of the lack of recognition for domestic work. Calling it that is, in fact, revealing how much the world has not yet learned to see the essential. Because domestic work makes no noise, but it sustains the noise of others. It does not appear, but it allows everything to appear. It is not celebrated, but it is what makes any celebration possible. Like an invisible force that organizes chaos, like hands that, without applause, keep everyday life in order, like an altar where care is worshiped. She carries more than objects; she carries the world. Every pot, every piece of clothing, every repeated gesture is a small ritual of life’s permanence. The children touching her in the sculpture are not just children; they are the future leaning on the invisible.
Version 2: The sculpture “The Woman Who Never Did Anything” is a work by the Spanish artist José Luis Fernández, located in Zaragoza, Spain. Created in 2001, it became a symbol of the appreciation of unpaid domestic work. The sculpture represents a female figure carrying objects such as brooms, buckets, and a washing machine, symbolizing the domestic and care tasks that many women perform daily. This work is a critique of the view that women who work at home are doing nothing, when in fact they are performing work of extreme importance for the family and society. It invites us to reflect on the real value of domestic work and the importance of recognizing and valuing the role of women in society.
Fact-Check
Given the high impact, we decided to verify the truth of this story by answering the following questions: 1) Is the statue “The Woman Who Does Nothing” located in Zaragoza (Spain) and does it talk about domestic work? 2) How was the image of the alleged statue called “The Woman Who Does Nothing” made? 3) Are there other fake news stories using the same image mentioning the monument in Zaragoza?
Is the statue “The Woman Who Does Nothing” located in Zaragoza (Spain) and does it talk about domestic work?
No, the statue does not physically exist in Zaragoza or any other Spanish city. When searching the public monument records of the city of Zaragoza, we found no mention of a work with this name or these characteristics. Furthermore, although one version of the rumor attributes the work to the artist José Luis Fernández, the sculptor’s official catalog contains no piece resembling the shared image. The artist is known for works of a distinct style, and there is no record of this installation in his professional portfolio.
How was the image of the alleged statue called “The Woman Who Does Nothing” made?
The investigation points out that the image of the sculpture is, in reality, a creation generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, several programs can produce high-quality photorealistic images, to the point of confusing observers. Note that although the image seems convincing at first glance, it presents textures and lighting typical of advanced digital renderings. AI was able to translate the concept of the invisible burden of women’s work into a powerful visual representation, but it remains only in the virtual field.
Are there other fake news stories using the same image mentioning the monument in Zaragoza?
Yes. This same image has circulated before with a slightly different presentation, but with the same misleading content. In past versions, the rumor claimed the sculpture was named “El Esfuerzo” (The Effort) or “La Carga” (The Burden), and that its author was the renowned artist Jaume Plensa, with the work supposedly exhibited in Barcelona. Fact-checking organizations have already debunked this version previously, confirming it was a digital montage.
Conclusion
Although the message carries a noble and necessary reflection on the invisibility of domestic work, the sculpture “The Woman Who Does Nothing” is not real. It is an image generated by artificial intelligence that was erroneously attributed to different artists and European cities to provide credibility to fictitious content.
Fake news ❌
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