CHILE: Gender parity in the constitutional process
On 20 March, the Chilean government enacted a gender parity law for the election of representatives in the convention to create Chile’s new constitution. The proposal to develop a new constitution through a directly elected body was overwhelmingly endorsed at a referendum held in October. As well as gender balance, the constitutional convention will have a quota of Indigenous representatives elected by Indigenous peoples.
The decision to have a gender-equal body reflected decades of campaigning for women’s rights and fair representation that helped shift public opinion.
This is going to be the first constitution that will be characterised by full parity: not only will there be parity in candidacies, but also in the composition of the constitutional convention. This was achieved thanks to the sustained and systematic work of the feminist and women’s movement.
Carolina Carrera
