Gender equality in political participation is essential when evaluating the level of development in democracy. For decades women have been systematically kept on the sidelines and often faced the challenge of adapting to rules or parliamentary life created in their absence. 

Greater participation by women in political representation is first and foremost a matter of justice but also raises expectations about the role female legislators should play in representing gender issues.

This report, carried out jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and International IDEA, describes and analyses the progress of gender equality in Latin America.