Today is celebrated as International Women’s Day; an occasion which is a holiday in some countries, and where we acknowledge the accomplishments women have made. What gains have women made in the Americas and what still needs to be done? Let’s take a look.
Lo Bueno
Much like we highlighted last year, women continue to hold positions of power in Latin America and the Caribbean. Female heads of state are leading in Chile and Jamaica, while several countries such as Ecuador and Uruguay have female defense ministers.
Aside from government, women have mobilized to be more active in their communities and to take action. Women on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques have urged for more research by the U.S. government on the health impact of previous Navy bombing exercises. Bolivian women that have been part of the push towards urbanization have created neighborhood groups that promote unity while female-led groups in Mexican border towns have been organized to ensure the safety of women.
Lo Malo
Unfortunately, gender inequality has hindered the progress of women not only in Latin America but around the world. A recent Gallup poll showed that approximately 3 out of 4 Latin American women do not feel they are on an equal status with men.
In addition, policies that favor women’s rights have been difficult to come by in several countries. In Chile, for instance, divorce was legalized only a few years ago and opposition grew against government plans to provide contraceptives to young girls. The move to legalize abortions in Colombia was met by widespread protests while Nicaragua’s legislature reversed a law allowing for some types of abortions.
Women have also been on the short end of the stick in issues like immigration with one of the best examples being the separation of families due to raids on undocumented workers earlier this week in Massachusetts.
Lo Feo
What can be worse to a woman’s dignity than being attacked against her will? It is nothing short of degrading, cruel, and unnecessary. Sadly in the Americas it is far too common; approximately 1 in 5 Mexican couples have experienced domestic violence according to the United Nations. In Colombia 71% of sexual violence victims last year were teenage girls. Such statistics will continue unless women keep moving forward to make gains like the ones we mentioned above.
Links- Wikipedia, VivirLatino, The Latin Americanist, Voice of America, Washington Post, Woman’s ENews, World Bank, bizcommunity.com, Inter Press News Agency, International Herald Tribune, Law Professors, Latina Lista, SignOnSanDiego.com, Xinhua, Prensa Latina
Image- San Francisco State University
Very well written article - thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
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