Women and Politics in Latin America: Trends and Challenges

Over the last decade, there has been a rising wave of Latin American women gaining powerful positions in their governments. Last month, Cristina Kirchner in Argentina joined Michele Bachelet in Chile as the first democratically elected female presidents of their countries. What does this mean for the gender equality agenda and the future of democracy in the region? The presentation will provide an overview of women's status in politics in Latin America as well as the strategies governments and NGOs have used to expand women's political participation in the region. It will also explore the implications of women's increased leadership in the region.
Panelists:
Ana Maria Brasileiro is a senior advisor to the Inter-American Development Bank's Program for the Support of Women's Leadership and Representation (PROLEAD). Formerly, she served as the Coordinator of PROLEAD and Chief of the Latin American and Caribbean Section of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). She has also worked for UNICEF and the Brazilian Government. A Brazilian native and former member of the Brazilian SID chapter, Mrs. Brasileiro holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Essex, a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California, USA and a law degree from the University of Sao Paulo.
Vivian Roza is Coordinator of the Inter-American Development Bank's Program for the Support of Women's Leadership and Representation (PROLEAD). She has worked for the International Foundation for Election Systems and Partners of the Americas and has served as co-chair of the Society for International Development's Women in Development workgroup. She holds a Master's Degree in Latin American Studies from New York University and is a Ph.D. candidate in Government at Georgetown University
*This event is a brownbag. Please feel free to bring your lunch.
To RSVP to this event, please go to the Society for International Development's Website.