Female representation in Latin America
Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2025 8:13 am
According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the number of women present in Latin American congresses and parliaments rose from 22% to almost 30% between 2008 and 2018.
The growth, however, has nothing to do with Brazil. The movement was led by countries such as Cuba, Bolivia and Mexico, and by Caribbean countries such as Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which have more than 40% women in political office in the last elections.
According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Brazil is considered one of the worst countries in Latin America in terms of female representation, ranking third in terms of the lowest parliamentary representation. In the ranking, the Brazilian rate is approximately 10 percentage points lower than the global average and has been practically stable since 1940.
Despite this, according to Perillo, “our situation, surprisingly, is nepal mobile database better today than in previous elections, as in 2018 there was an increase in the number of women elected.” In 2014, women occupied only 51 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
She also highlights that despite the small progress, it was necessary to establish a quota, by law, so that women's participation in politics could be greater.
In 2009, during a political “mini-reform”, a quota of at least 30% and a maximum of 70% for the participation of a certain gender became mandatory – a way of contributing to the increase in female candidates. In addition, by decision of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), political parties must allocate at least 30% of campaign financing resources and free advertising time to women.
The issue is that, even so, party leaderships are still hegemonically male and, apparently, do not raise the issue of low female representation as a problem to be addressed.
“Social structures and cultural constructions still assign women the role of caregivers of the home and family. Men feel freer to engage in politics because, deep down, they are freer to engage in whatever they want, while women still carry responsibilities assigned centuries ago, with very different models of society and work. This asymmetry of roles is limiting,” says Perillo.
The growth, however, has nothing to do with Brazil. The movement was led by countries such as Cuba, Bolivia and Mexico, and by Caribbean countries such as Nicaragua and Costa Rica, which have more than 40% women in political office in the last elections.
According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Brazil is considered one of the worst countries in Latin America in terms of female representation, ranking third in terms of the lowest parliamentary representation. In the ranking, the Brazilian rate is approximately 10 percentage points lower than the global average and has been practically stable since 1940.
Despite this, according to Perillo, “our situation, surprisingly, is nepal mobile database better today than in previous elections, as in 2018 there was an increase in the number of women elected.” In 2014, women occupied only 51 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
She also highlights that despite the small progress, it was necessary to establish a quota, by law, so that women's participation in politics could be greater.
In 2009, during a political “mini-reform”, a quota of at least 30% and a maximum of 70% for the participation of a certain gender became mandatory – a way of contributing to the increase in female candidates. In addition, by decision of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), political parties must allocate at least 30% of campaign financing resources and free advertising time to women.
The issue is that, even so, party leaderships are still hegemonically male and, apparently, do not raise the issue of low female representation as a problem to be addressed.
“Social structures and cultural constructions still assign women the role of caregivers of the home and family. Men feel freer to engage in politics because, deep down, they are freer to engage in whatever they want, while women still carry responsibilities assigned centuries ago, with very different models of society and work. This asymmetry of roles is limiting,” says Perillo.