Women in Latin America and the Caribbean - Cepal

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Women parliamentarians report that that they are encouraged to take part in commissions
concerned with social problems, but they are less involved in those considered more substantive.
They describe an ongoing culture that excludes them from informal settings for discussion and
decision-making. Women complain of being the subject of jokes, and of the jealousy of some male
politicians, who find it difficult to accept women’s political ambitions. They also state that the
explicit and implicit operating rules do not allow for the demands on women to reconcile
parliamentary activities with their private lives (IPU, 2000; Iturbe de Blanco, 2003; Hardy, 2005a;
Guzmán, 2007).
Research conducted in Chile (Hardy, 2005a) shows that most women in politics have a high level
of self-esteem and state that their presence makes a difference for the better in legislative work, as it
transforms agenda priorities (78%), internal culture (79%) and rules and regulations (74%). Female
parliamentarians declare themselves more concerned with social and ethical matters (such as poverty,
human rights, social justice and the environment) and state that they also face issues of corruption and
falling standards in politics. Lastly, they consider their presence indispensable in tackling problems such
as violence against women, the recognition of new rights and reconciling reproductive and productive
work (IPU, 2000).
Their minority position and their good opinion of their own performance lead 80% to favour
affirmative action policies and quotas (of between 30% and 50%), as well as the promotion of crosscutting
partnerships to form the basis of legislative gender commissions (Guzmán, 2003). As for the
electoral system, women are in favour of a limit on campaign spending and advocate the creation of funds
to enable women to compete on a more equal footing.
2. From a symbolic presence to parity
In 1999, women were a minority in the ministerial cabinets around the world and any female ministers
were found mainly in social portfolios. By then, no ministry was formally closed to them, however (IPU,
2000). In 2006, there was an increase in the number of women in ministerial posts or running for
president and other positions of national leadership, and this generated an impact on subjectivity with
respect to the feminization of power. The figures speak of a slow and volatile process that is still far from
arriving at any sort of consolidation.