Gender Equality: Americas Quarterly Summer Issue Launch

Speakers:

• Jane Marcus-Delgado, Associate Professor, College of Staten Island; Co-author, “The Public Debate Over Private Lives.” (Summer 2012, AQ) 
• Sarah Buitoni, Senior Associate for the Center for Microfinance Leadership, Women’s World Banking
• Joseph E. Whalen, Program Officer for Latin America, 10,000 Women Initiative, Goldman Sachs
• Christopher Sabatini, Senior Director of Policy, Americas Society and Council of the Americas; Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly
• Co-Moderators: Nina Agrawal, Departments Editor, AQ and Wilda Escarfuller, Assistant Editor, AQ

Watch a video with highlights from this event.

Summary

Substantial advances have been made in gender equality across Latin America in terms of legal rights, protections against domestic violence, political representation, and anti-discrimination legislation. But in spite of impressive accomplishments in access to education and political representation, barriers for women remain. The launch of the Summer 2012 issue of Americas Quarterly addressed improvements in gender equality across the region as well as the continuing challenges for women’s rights.

Economic Empowerment

Advancing women’s roles can contribute to a country’s overall economic performance by reducing poverty and strengthening democracy. But one challenge is for women to recognize their own contributions, said Sarah Buitoni of Women’s World Banking. She described how women in the Americas don’t usually identify themselves as the head of the household, even though they often manage household finances and run the family business by raising livestock or selling merchandise. Challenging long-held beliefs about the role of women at home will help women recognize their potential, Buitoni explained.  

Goldman Sachs is especially committed to women’s empowerment, Joseph Whalen said. Through the 10,000 Women Initiative, the company selects female entrepreneurs from Brazil, Mexico, and Peru and helps participants identify methods of advancing their businesses and remaining competitive. Whalen noted that investing in women was a strategic decision because women tend to invest in their children’s education and health care, their communities, and themselves. Ultimately, empowering women increases the opportunities for women to improve their social status, gain knowledge and skills, and to vote and participate in social and political movements, thus closing the gender gap. 

Reproductive Rights

Jane Marcus-Delgado discussed how she and Americas Quarterly co-author Joan Caivano observed widely varied restrictions on reproductive rights across Latin America in their article “The Public Debate Over Private Lives.” Access to safe and legal abortions can also vary within countries. In Mexico, for example, the government legalized abortion in Mexico City but as a result, 17 of 31 Mexican states passed “right to life” amendments. Marcus-Delgado also highlighted the deterioration of abortion rights in the United States, from the discontinuation for birth control medication coverage by health care providers to ongoing attacks on Roe vs. Wade through “personhood” amendments and restrictions on second-trimester abortions.

Analyzing general trends on reproductive rights in the hemisphere, Marcus-Delgado and Caivano found that individual cases—usually involving young victims of rape and incest whose stories have captured media attention—have compelled Latin American lawmakers to revisit restrictions on abortions. International court cases have also put the pressure on local judiciaries to reform abortion law. Meanwhile, churches, non-profits, and activists such as Colombian lawyer Mónica Roa have reshaped the public debate on abortion and exert considerable influence on policy on both sides of the debate.

Political Participation

Panelists pointed out that advances in gender equality rely not only on the active participation of women in politics, law, business, and social movements, but a greater number of women leaders who advocate for women’s reproductive and economic rights. Though countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Costa Rica elected female presidents in recent years, AQ contributing author Magda Hinojosa demonstrates in her article “Increasing Women’s Representation in Politics” that the growing presence of female heads of state in Latin America has had little effect on the advancement of women’s rights on a national level. Hinojosa also found that women’s political representation varies widely between countries, political parties, and levels of government.

Panelists agreed that leaders in the hemisphere should seek to promote and prioritize women’s rights, thus paving the way for greater leadership by women. Governments, civil society organizations, and political parties must encourage women to think of themselves as political leaders, recruit promising women for positions of leadership, and increase the selection and funding of female political candidates.