Political Paths and Gender in Latin America. An Analysis of the Trajectories of Legislative Elites

Abstract

Since the first United Nations World Conference on Women in Mexico in 1975, greater focus has been brought to women’s representation and its impact on decision-making structures. However, it was only after the second Conference in Nairobi in 1985 that concrete actions began to achieve greater equality in representative institutions, with governments and parliaments committing themselves to the promotion of gender equality. Thanks to the establishment of quotas and other reforms aimed at promoting their political participation, the growing number of women who have actively entered politics has generated widespread debate about the type of representation they are expected to exercise.