New International IDEA Resource
30 Years of Democracy: Riding the Wave? Women’s Political Participation in Latin America
This report 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. It goes beyond mere numbers, highlighting not only the progress that has been made, but also some of the obstacles that women face in public life and presents a number of recommendations for improving the situation of women in political life.
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Interview
Lourdes Flores Nano, Peru, President of Partido Popular Cristiano and former congresswoman and presidential candidate in Peru, shares her experience of 30 years in politics with International IDEA’s Kristen Sample.
“During these 30 years things are evolving to women’s participation being considered as something natural”
Listen to the interview
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30 years on: Are Latin American women riding the political wave?
Since 1990 the average number of women cabinet ministers in Latin America 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.
Do quotas work?
Quota mechanisms have sped up the increase in the number of women in Parliament in the 11 Latin American countries that have adopted them, although they differ in their effectiveness. In the seven countries that lack quotas, only 14 per cent of the legislative seats are held by women.
Countries with quota laws, and the results in lower houses of Congress
| Country |
Year approved |
Current quota (%) |
Lower house seats held by women before law (%) |
Lower house seats currently held by women (%) |
| Argentina |
1991 |
30% (lower and upper) |
6% |
38.3% |
| Bolivia |
1997 |
30% (lower) 25% (upper) |
11% |
16.9% |
| Brazil |
1997 |
30% (lower) |
7% |
8.8% |
| Costa Rica |
1996 |
40% |
14% |
36.8% |
| Ecuador |
1997 |
50% (2006 elections) |
4% |
26% |
| Honduras |
2000 |
30% |
9.4% |
23.4% |
| Mexico |
1996 |
30% (lower and upper) |
17% |
22.6% |
| Panama |
1997 |
30% |
8% |
15.3% |
| Paraguay |
1996 |
20% (lower and upper) |
3% |
10% |
| Peru |
1997 |
30% |
11% |
29.2% |
| Dominican Republic |
1997 |
33% |
12% |
19.7% |
| Source: Based on data from www.ipu.org and www.idea.int |
Countries with quota laws, and the results in lower houses of Congress
|
| Country |
Year approved |
Current quota (%) |
Lower house seats held by women before law (%) |
Lower house seats currently held by women (%) |
| Argentina |
1991 |
30% (lower and upper) |
6% |
38.3% |
| Bolivia |
1997 |
30% (lower) 25% (upper) |
11% |
16.9% |
| Brazil |
1997 |
30% (lower) |
7% |
8.8% |
| Costa Rica |
1996 |
40% |
14% |
36.8% |
| Ecuador |
1997 |
50% (2006 elections) |
4% |
26% |
| Honduras |
2000 |
30% |
9.4% |
23.4% |
| Mexico |
1996 |
30% (lower and upper) |
17% |
22.6% |
| Panama |
1997 |
30% |
8% |
15.3% |
| Paraguay |
1996 |
20% (lower and upper) |
3% |
10% |
| Peru |
1997 |
30% |
11% |
29.2% |
| Dominican Republic |
1997 |
33% |
12% |
19.7% |
| Source: Based on data from www.ipu.org and www.idea.int |
Source: International IDEA’s new report: 30 Years of Democracy: Riding the Wave? Women’s Political Participation in Latin America.
Designing for Equality
Different electoral systems and laws can result in different outcomes in terms of the representation of women. The type of electoral system is a key variable in accounting for why some countries have higher levels of female representation than others do. See the advantages and disadvantages of different electoral systems and how they can be used in combination with quotas to increase the representation of women and facilitate their participation.
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