Women Trying to Catch Up

Women still lag behind men in Latin America, Marifeli Perez-Stable wrote today in the Miami Herald.

Perez-Stable writes that fewer than 50 percent of women participate in the labor force, contributing to a stubborn wage gap. Costa Rica has come closest to bridging the gap, Perez-Stable said.

She suggests that some health care has improved for women, but maternal mortality continues to be a problem in countries from Bolivia to Ecuador and the Dominican Republic.

Domestic violence is still a huge issue -- just this week a report showed that in Brazil, 10 women are killed daily because of domestic violence.

Earlier this week, we reported that the United States is considering allowing a special asylum group for Guatemalan women because so many are killed in their home country.

Read more of Perez-Stable's article here.

Sources: CNN, Miami Herald