Women are leading Latin America´s momentum

An article today at El Pais (from Spain) show how a series of women Presidents in the region have leaded the way to the economic and social boom that most of its countries are undergoing after a deep crisis hit it after 2000.

Let me translate some of the most interesting parts of the article by mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman””>Mariangela Paone

Today 40% of the population in Latin America is ruled by women. If Josefina Vazquez Mota wins Mexico’s presidential elections, the percentage will rise to 60%.

After the experiences of Violeta Chamorro in Nicaragua and Mireya Moscoso in Panama in the nineties and the push given by the election of Michelle Bachelet in Chile in 2006, the region experienced a kind of domino effect. Argentina, Costa Rica and Brazil have followed the footsteps of Chile. Now the time might have come for Mexico.

Sonia Montaño, director of the Women and Development Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) says:”It confirms a tendency to consider women an option to revalue democracy in a continent that is under scrutiny for their problems and weaknesses such as corruption.”

Conservative may also be the reason why parties choose to nominate women candidates: they are the best option to keep them in power. So says Natalia Flores Gonzalez, executive secretary of the Gender Observatory in Chile. “This is what happened in 2005 in Chile with the Coalition, a fraying coalition government for 15 years. The preferred candidate was José Miguel Insulza, but polls soared for two women, Soledad Alvear and Michelle Bachelet. And finally, the candidate was Bachelet.” he recalls.

The complete article in Spanish, here.