The presentation examines key facts about women and gender issues in Latin America in the 21st century.

1. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
OF LATIN AMERICA
Women and gender in Latin American in the 21st
century
Dr. Jacqueline LAGUARDIA MARTINEZ
Jacqueline.Laguardia-Martinez@sta.uwi.edu

2. Gender equality in Latin America
• Rise in the number of women elected and appointed to political office (three women
presidents in Argentina, Chile, and Brazil).
• The presence of women in the region’s lower or unicameral houses rose from 9 percent in
1990, to 13 percent in 2000, to 18 percent in 2010 (Blofield et al. 2017).
• The left has promoted the political empowerment of ethnically marginalized women. The
rights of indigenous women were placed on the policy agenda for the first time during the
pink tide.
• However, the left had no clear agenda on gender equality issues. Gender equality remains
understood as part of an overarching goal of equality, focusing on women’s labor-market
participation while keeping traditional family roles (patriarchal social structure).
• Differences on liberalize abortion (ranged from full legalization to supporting absolute
prohibition), women’s reproductive autonomy and pass anti-Violence Against Women and
their children (VAWC) policies.

3. Change in gender policy outcomes during the Pink Tide
all Latin American countries (1999–2016)
Merike et al. (2017).p. 357

4. Abortion laws in Latin America, 1996 and 2017
M. Blofield and C. Ewig (2017), p. 489
Legalization of abortion on demand in the first trimester exists in Uruguay and Cuba