Being a women in Latin America and the Caribbean is widely seen as being synonymous with greater levels of inequality. The inequality of women in comparison to men is greater if we factor in the degree to which women participate in political decision-making processes, their access to professional opportunities, their involvement in economic decisions and the power they wield over economic resources. According to the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) for 2007, all LAC countries reported levels of below 0.7, with the sole exception of Trinidad and Tobago.

Women from the region continue to work for relatively less pay than men, even in the case of women and men with the same qualifications. Moreover, there are more women than men engaged in the informal economy, effectively meaning that many women do not enjoy access to labour-related social welfare benefits and face greater vulnerability.

You will soon be able to visit this section to consult articles, materials and documents on gender-based inequality within the region.

Michelle Bachelet La bandera de la igualdad ha sido para mi y para millones, la principal causa para enrolarnos en las filas de la política activa. Llegamos a ella para cambiar el orden natural de las cosas; aquel orden donde la desigualdad ocupa -y sigue ocupando, lamentablemente...[+]