Women, Politics, and Democracy in Latin America

by Tomïs Dosek (Editor), Flavia Freidenberg (Editor), Mariana Caminotti (Editor), Betilde Muïoz-Pogossian (Editor)

Overview

This book discusses the current tendencies in women’s representation and their role in politics in Latin American countries from three different perspectives. Firstly, the authors examine cultural, political-partisan and organizational obstacles that women face in and outside institutions. Secondly, the book explores barriers in political reality, such as gender legislation implementation, public administration and international cooperation, and proposes solutions, supported by successful experiences, emphasising the nonlinearity of the implementation process. Thirdly, the authors highlight the role of women in politics at the subnational level. The book combines academic expertise in various disciplines with contributions from practitioners within national and international institutions to broaden the reader’s understanding of women in Latin American politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781349950089
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan US
Publication date:	01/05/2017
Series:	Crossing Boundaries of Gender and Politics in the Global South
Edition description:	1st ed. 2017
Pages:	243
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tomáš Došek is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the Institute of Political Science of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. He holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the Instituto de Iberoamérica, University of Salamanca, Spain.


Flavia Freidenberg is Principal Researcher at the Institute of Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Professor of the Postgraduate Program in Political and Social Science at the same university. She is Associate Editor of Politics and International Relations of Latin American Research Review (LARR).


Mariana Caminotti is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina, and Researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), at the Center for Federal and Electoral Studies of the School of Politics and Government of the same University.


Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian is Director of the Department of Social Inclusion of the Organization of American States (OAS), and former Director of the Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation (2011-2014). Muñoz-Pogossian holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Florida International University of Miami.

Table of Contents

1. Women, Politics, and Democracy in Latin America: An Introduction .- 2. Electoral Quotas and Beyond: Strategies to Promote Women in Politics .- 3. Critical Challenges of Quotas and Parity in Latin America .- 4. The Variation of Quota Designs and their Origins in Latin America (1991-2015) .- 5. Challenging Gender Inequality within the State: Policy Agencies and Quota Laws in Latin America .- 6. Organizational Repertoires for Advancing Women’s Rights: An Analysis of Structures, Groups and Policies in National Legislatures in Latin America and the Caribbean .- 7. Does Gender Make a Difference? The Gender Gap in Latin American Politics .- 8. Presidentas Twitteras: The Social Media Use of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Dilma Rousseff .- 9. Contributions of Electoral Justice to the Strengthening of Women’s Political Rights: The Case of Mexico in Comparative Perspective .- 10. Women in Elections: Identifying Obstacles and Strategies to Promote Electoral Competitiveness .- 11. Women and Politics in Colombia: Reforms, Advocacy and Other Actions led by International Development Agencies (2007-2014) .- 12. Breaking Concrete, Glass and Cash Ceilings: Conclusions and Policy Recommendations from Scholars and Practitioners.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Women, Politics and Democracy offers a unique contribution to the fields of comparative politics and gender studies. More importantly, the volume will prove useful for practitioners, politicians and those who influence public policies that seek to promote gender equality. A rights-based approach informs the analysis putting women’s human rights at the heart of the public policy proposals offered in this volume. With both academic rigor and the wisdom of policy practice, the volume illustrates that institutional changes are not sufficient to guarantee the full exercise of women’s political rights, as voters, as party members and as candidates.” (Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States)

“What can explain the fact that in a continent where machismo, social inequality and femicides still exist, there is proportionally the greatest legislative representation of women in the world? This representation is such that the Americas is today the continent that leads the democratization process of political representation, including that of sexual diversity. A read-through the authors’ analysis and conclusions of “Women, Politics and Democracy” offer a critical and at the same time, coherent review of this reality. The volume puts the different pieces in the right places of an unfinished puzzle. The puzzle is not complete because the analysis does not pretend to give the full picture but trimmings of a regional outlook for women that confuses and fascinates at the same time.” (Line Bareiro, Researcher at the Regional Training Program on Gender and Public Policy – PRIGEPP (FLACSO Argentina) and former member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW))

“The editors have assembled an intellectually and geographically diverse team of stellar scholars who together deepen and extend existing lines of scholarly inquiry on the election, representation and participation of women in Latin America while simultaneously breaking new ground in the study of continuing barriers to, and opportunities for, greater gender equality in Latin America’s democracies.” (Mark P. Jones, Joseph D. Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies, Rice University, USA)

Editorial Reviews

This book leverages rigorous research to develop a series of policy proposals for expanding and deepening women’s involvement in Latin American democracies. The book is accessible to a broad audience including political science students, activists, and practitioners. … As such, Women, Politics, and Democracy in Latin America will serve as a springboard for future research on women’s political empowerment and a resource for cultivating formal and informal strategies for institutionalising women’s access to political power.” (Tiffany D. Barnes, Gender & Development, Vol. 25 (3), November, 2017)

From the Publisher