Michelle Bachelet made history in Chile in 2006 and Cristina Fernández did the same in Argentina in 2007 by being elected president of their countries by popular vote. But does this mean that conditions now exist for women to participate fully and equally in political life?
Lima, Peru 29 February, 2008 – Today International IDEA releases a report entitled 30 Years of Democracy: Riding the Wave? Women’s Political Participation in Latin America. It examines the progress made in women’s participation at all levels of public and party decision making, in the three decades since the start of the third wave of democratization, drawing on data from 18 countries in the region.
The report finds that, although the number of women in politics has improved overall, real progress is highly uneven and limited to only some countries. Indeed, even within these countries progress is largely confined to only some elected offices.
Since 1990 the average number of women cabinet ministers has risen from 9 per cent to 24 per cent, and their portfolios now include defence, internal security and external affairs, all areas previously the chasse gardée of men. The average number of female parliamentarians has grown to 18.5 per cent, but this figure glosses over the fact that one in three parliamentarians is a woman in Argentina as opposed to Brazil where the figure is one in 12. Furthermore, it is at the local level that the absence of women is most notable; in 14 countries, women account for less than 10 per cent of mayors.
The study goes beyond the numbers, analyzing why some countries have been able to advance further than others and identifying some of the continuing obstacles encountered by women in their parties in running for office or in public perception. It presents recommendations for improving the situation of women in public life including:
- Introducing electoral reforms that guarantee more effective application of affirmative action measures for election to public office in countries in which such measures exist;
- Getting the issue of affirmative action onto the public agenda in countries where such measures have not yet been introduced;
- Working for real democratization of political parties by encouraging practices that allow women to participate as active members and leaders under truly equitable conditions. This includes reserving leadership positions for women and implementing training and development;
- Studying and implementing reforms to incorporate gender criteria into regulations on political financing, as well as gender-oriented criteria for access to resources and control of spending by political parties;
- Encouraging strategies for supporting women who hold elected office, through the creation women’s networks; and
- Working with the media to eliminate their chauvinistic view of politics and urging them to put gender issues on their agenda and provide equal coverage of female candidates.
To place an order or to download 30 Years of Democracy: Riding the Wave? Women’s Political Participation in Latin America (English and Spanish), free of charge, visit: www.idea.int/publications
See also the dedicated web page — International IDEA celebrates international women’s day 2008—featuring the launch of this report with graphs and tables, an interview with Lourdes Flores Nano, President of Partido Popular Cristiano and former congresswoman and presidential candidate in Peru, and more: www.idea.int/gender/iwd_2008.cfm
For information, contact:
Kristen Sample, Senior Programme Officer for the Andean Region and for Gender Issues
International IDEA, Lima/Peru
Phone: +511-440-4092 or 440-4093
Email: k.sample@idea.int
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