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The Popular Education Network Among Women from Latin America and the Caribbean (Red de Educación Popular entre Mujeres –REPEM), DAWN’s focal point in Latin America, held the Forum “Women and Power in Politics” in Santiago, Chile, August 10-11, 2006. The presidency of Michelle Bachelet and a cabinet with gender parity was reason enough to hold this event in Chile.
Do women exercise power in a different way than men do? Which are the obstacles for women’s participation in politics? What happens when they exercise power? How is diversity addressed and how is it represented?
These were some of the questions that steered the reflections of both the panelists, who were representatives of the legislative, executive and judiciary in the region, as well as leaders of political parties, and of more than 180 representatives of women’s, young women’s and feminist organizations in Chile, Latin America and the Caribbean, in the event that took place in the facilities of the Chilean Ex-Congress.
New or old practices?
In the Legislative Power Roundtable, Senator Margarita Percovich addressed the Uruguayan experience of the feminine bi-cameral group of parliamentarians that, beyond any political trends, fosters a common agenda for the promotion of gender equality, and reports on advances of their legislative action every year on March 8.
Elizabeth Salguero, member of the Bolivian Parliament, spoke about the difficulty she experienced when trying to make political pacts with women, and specifically with indigenous women. The Chilean parliamentary Maria Antonieta Saa reflected upon strategies of accessing power, and referred to patronage and nepotism practices.
In the Executive Power roundtable the presence of women as heads of ministries traditionally linked with feminine roles was made evident, and essentialist standpoints about the exercise of power were questioned, such as women being less corrupt than men.
In the Judiciary Power Roundtable, Bolivian Judge Elizabeth Iñiguez expressed “… the law is not neutral, and it is not valid per se”, adding that its enforcement depends on its interpretation. The panellists highlighted the importance of training and sensitising people involved in the judiciary.
Finally, the reflections from the Roundtable on Political Parties revolved around discussing new forms of doing politics, considering the quality of the representation of new social movements, African descendents, youth, women and sexual diversity. Epsy Campbell, President of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (Citizens’ Action Party) of Costa Rica, and Patricia Mercado, former candidate to the Presidency of Mexico in 2006, representing the Partido Alternativa, expressed the need to establish links with the different social sectors within a framework of transparency.
Isabel Allende, parliamentary, representative of the Chilean Socialist Party, emphasized that the media had been fundamental to Michelle Bachelet becoming a candidate to the presidency as representative of the Concertación (governing coalition), after the polls had shown the popular support she had at the time. Nonetheless, already in the Presidency, people question her way of exercising power, which contrasts with the authoritarian model of former President Lagos.
With the aim of giving continuity to the DAWN Training Institute –DTI- of Bangalore 2003 and Montevideo 2005, a Regional Follow Up Training Course followed the Santiago Forum, from August 12-14, 2006. It was attended by 8 DTI graduates, who were joined by 7 other young feminists. In this space, reflections revolved around the debates and discussions held during the Forum “Women and Power in Politics”, deepening the knowledge acquired during the DTI training, and generating spaces for exchange and dialogue between the participants and prestigious feminists of Latin America.
From different perspectives, Patricia Mercado, Elizabeth Salguero, Ximena Machicao and Celita Eccher contributed to the analysis of different experiences related to political restructuring and social transformation processes. Patricia Mercado brought forward elements of the political reform undergone by Mexico during the past ten years, and the role played by the social and feminist movements. She highlighted the new forms of political participation and citizenship that the new law recognizes as a reflection of a deep social transformation in the Mexican society, which draws from the social demand for more representation of the different social expressions - young people, indigenous movements, women, sexual diversities, among others.
Elizabeth Salguero shared her experience of the Bolivian Constituent Assembly, in which the rural indigenous women’s movement and the women’s movement have failed to achieve yet a political pact to put forward a common agenda, particularly because of the mistrust resulting from the historical exclusion experienced by the indigenous people in that country.
Ximena Machicao encouraged participants to think about the need to move forward in the construction of a common project - the foundation of political pacts and the generation of solidarity bonds with those women who exercise real power, both in elective and executive positions - with the aim of achieving a political and historical accumulation of experiences, thus avoiding the dissolution of power.
Celita Eccher shared her experience as a member of the International Council of the World Social Forum, a meeting space with social movements in the quest for a world with more justice, and as a very important space for influencing, from the feminist movement.
Marta Lamas’ inputs in the training course encouraged reflection on the links between women’s sexual and reproductive rights and gender, focusing on the issue of abortion as the axis in which both issues converge as an expression of patriarchy. Furthermore, the discussion revolved around the importance of clarifying concepts in order to build clear arguments and strategies. She recommended to take into account the political contexts and times, in order to move forward on certain issues which are very complex on account of their multiple ethic, moral and psychological contents, among others.
Rosalba Todaro, addressing Political Economy of Globalization, emphasized the importance of articulating the gender perspective with the sphere of economy, and the kind of development and issues that have to be privileged, such as the relation between productive and reproductive work in the globalization context.
Reflections and great challenges
Along the five working days the reflections focused upon three axes: women’s participation spaces; the articulation levels between those women in spaces of power and their organizations; and finally the changes that can be achieved through women’s contribution in the institutional and socio-cultural structures, and the deepening of democracy.
It was acknowledged that the quota system is an effective and necessary mechanism that enables women’s participation in the institutional spaces of power, however, they should move forward towards the achievement of parity, which implies incorporatating this concept into the electoral systems reform processes, in each country.
In this sense, it is essential to debate about the relation between women and power, and the challenge to achieve the recognition of their leadership and visibility as political subjects, overcoming the mere longing for narcissist leadership.
The traditional form of exercising power on the part of the political class and parties was also questioned; they remain the privileged spaces through which institutional power is accessed. Moreover, the need to strengthen new alternatives for political and citizen participation that are emerging in the region was also acknowledged; they contribute to the construction of new agendas for the 21st Century, which include every aspect of diversity.
The main identified challenge was the need to articulate women’s and feminist movements’ actions and demands for rights, with decision-makers and justice administrators, as well as generating alliances with women who are in those spaces.
An ethical and political challenge for the feminist movement as a socio-political actor seeking to transform power relations is to think from where our societies have been built and rebuilt, rethinking politics as a space for coexistence. In order to give a new value to politics it is necessary to vindicate its conflictive aspect, as it allows for acknowledging the difference and diversity of the subjectivities living together within our societies.
It is essential to recognize and share the reflection that this meeting resulted in the generation of a learning space for dialogue, where different questions were raised and many approaches to the feminist agenda’s issues were posed. The identification of problems in our practices and the analysis of different Latin American realities constituted the starting point for bringing forward new tools for political advocacy, departing from an analysis of the Forum and the issues addressed, based on the thematic interlinkage. There was a mobilising feeling of belonging to a space of understanding, the identification of peers, and the capacity for exchange that results in mutual growing.
This article was elaborated by the participants in the Regional Follow up Training Course, composed as follows: DTI 2003 Graduates: Fiorella Benavente, Peru; Angela Collet, Brazil; Joana Chagas, Brazil. DTI 2005 Graduates: Leticia Lázaro, Uruguay; Natalia Mori Cruz, Brazil; Mónica Novillo, Bolivia; Cecilia Ezpeleta, Argentina; Diana Senior, Costa Rica. Other young feminists from the region: Tatiana Hernández, Chile; Natalia Flores, Chile; Carolina Gil, Brazil; Adelaida Entenza, Uruguay; Nicole Bidegain, Uruguay; Patricia Zamora, Chile; Marcela Mazzei, Uruguay.
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from organizations and networks within both the Anglophone and Francophone regions (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Senegal and South Africa). The training was aimed at sharing the results of DAWN’s SRHR research in three African countries and equipping young feminist activists with skills and knowledge from DAWN’s evidence-based research to enable them to engage in effective advocacy at the ECA Ministerial meeting for ICPD+10 which followed in Dakar, from June 10-12. Participants shared research results, clarified their analysis, practiced their communication and drafting skills and generally mapped out strategies to be employed in the meeting to secure a renewed commitment from African governments to the ICPD POA.
DAWN South and Southeast Asia have successfully convened two (2) Regional Training Institutes, the first of which was held in 
