Page 19 - REFORMAS INCLUSIVAS, ACTORES CRITICOS Y REPRESENTACION POLITICA DE LAS MUJERES EN AMERICA LATINA - FLAVIA FREIDENBERT

ABSTRACT

his research explores various aspects related to the political
copia
representation of women in contexts where they have historically
Tbeen underrepresented and where some social groups have failed
to acknowledge (or even avoid) the legitimacy threat the political system
faces by excluding half of the population. Historically, women have
been an essential part of politics in several ways: voting, participating in
rallies, campaigning in elections. However, they have traditionally been
marginalized from candidacies and, as a result, have not been elected. This
text seeks to raise awareness about the problems of structural inequality
that a democracy without women supposes and traces the different
institutional, partisan, cultural and socioeconomic obstacles that women
face (because they are women) when they want to exercise citizenship on 19
equal terms with men. The applied research identifies a series of reforms
to the gender electoral regime, the electoral system and other socio-
political dimensions that have been efficient increasing levels of political
representation of women in Latin America, thus highlights the pending
reforms and draws attention to the importance of critical actors capable
of promoting reforms that are necessary (and even urgent) to democratize
political systems.

Keywords: Political Reforms, Women’s Political Representation,
Gender Parity, Parity Democracy, Latin America.