Women’s leadership and gender equality in Latin America: the journey is far from over

Even in 2024, being a woman in Latin America remains a challenge. Latin America, especially the Andean region, has one of the highest rates of non-partner sexual violence against women, and the second highest rate of violence by partners or former partners.12 Culturally, the primary role of a woman in Latino families remains to be a mother, which can overshadow other ambitions such as pursuing a career. And if the career path leads a woman to a leadership position, she will likely experience isolation, attacks, and hostility, often motivated by sexism. Despite progress made to improve gender equality and tackle violence against women, there are still major challenges ahead.

When I accepted the position as minister of health in my country, Peru, not being a politician but rather an academician and researcher, I was filled with joy at the opportunity to contribute positively to my nation. But some of my colleagues told me I would be exposing myself to bullying and other forms of maltreatment. And they were right, it happened in several forms.

I remember that while presenting to the Peruvian congress, a congressman interrupted me to ask if I was single or married. When I asked what the question had to do with the presentation, he answered “nothing, but… I wanted to know if you ever had a “Noche Buena” (referring to a night of passion). Several of the other congressmen laughed loudly. It was hard to focus with all the noise and my embarrassment, but I persevered, and the regulation I presented was accepted and approved. Weeks later, the congressman received a sanction from the congress’s ethics committee. Violence against women in leadership is still a common occurrence, despite the considerable attention to and progress in the subject of women’s leadership and equality in Latin America in recent years.3

Almost all countries in the region have national plans to end gender based violence.1 Investments in education have resulted in increased access to education for girls, and now women exceed men in years of schooling received.45 Health outcomes and life expectancy rates for women have also improved, probably explained by the reduction in maternal mortality, total fertility rates, and infectious diseases that disproportionately affected women.6 Inequalities persist, however, particularly in rural and marginalised communities, where access to quality education and healthcare remains limited and disproportionately harms women and girls’ opportunities for advancement.

According to the Global Gender Parity Report 2023, which benchmarks gender equality in 146 countries, the Latin American gender gap in economic participation and opportunities remains problematic, with the third lowest regional score. Despite better educational achievements, women in the region continue to face unequal wages, barriers to accessing formal employment, the burden of unpaid care work, and lack of representation in leadership positions within the private sector.78 Women’s economic empowerment remains a challenge, but efforts to improve this situation are underway, including promoting women’s entrepreneurship, microfinance credit programmes, and promoting participation in traditionally male dominated sectors.9

Women’s representation in politics and public sector leadership roles in Latin America has increased. Several women have become presidents, and many countries in the region have implemented gender quotas or other affirmative action measures through nationwide policies to ensure women’s participation in political decision making processes.10 For instance, countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, and Costa Rica have achieved relatively high levels of female representation in their legislative bodies.11 Unfortunately, although more women hold key political positions, they still face substantial challenges.

Structural barriers, including sexism and lack of institutional support, continue to hinder women’s political effectiveness.12 Women’s presence in leadership positions in the public sector is essential. Global evidence shows that their presence is associated with higher economic growth, better public services, and lower levels of corruption, among other benefits. The absence of women in leadership roles within the public sector worsens gender inequalities in accessing services, hindering women’s advocacy for their health needs and leading to policy oversights in critical areas such as reproductive rights. This disproportionately affects women with intersectional identities, including those from marginalised racial or ethnic backgrounds, from gender and sexual minorities, and with disabilities. Without diverse representation, the specific health challenges of women risk being undermined or ignored in public health policies and programmes.

Latin America has made strides towards women’s leadership and gender equality. Deep rooted cultural and social norms such as “machismo” or traditional masculinity, however, continue to perpetuate and reinforce stereotypes and behaviours that limit women’s rights and opportunities. These social and cultural norms are changing slowly. But we need more comprehensive efforts involving education, media, and community engagement to speed up change and transform gender norms for women to be leaders, men to be supportive and egalitarian, and everyone to enjoy equality and fairness in domestic and public life. Efforts to promote women’s empowerment, challenge discriminatory norms, evaluate and document the impact of women in leadership in the region, and assure the implementation of gender responsive policies are essential for creating a more inclusive and equitable Latin American region. But the journey is far from over.