Advancing parity democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean

This document presents an overview of the progress and challenges related to women's political participation in Latin America and the Caribbean. The region has developed a solid framework of laws and public policies aimed at ensuring the full and effective exercise of women's political rights, with a vision of parity-based democracy grounded in the Regional Gender Agenda. Currently, 18 countries have quota and/or parity laws, which have helped achieve a regional average of 35.8% women in parliament, positioning Latin America and the Caribbean as one of the world’s leading regions in terms of female parliamentary representation (IPU). However, multiple barriers continue to hinder the full and effective participation of women in all areas of public and political life, and if current trends persist, gender parity in parliaments will not be achieved within the next 40 years (ECLAC).