Women in the Americas: Paths to Political Power

The Inter-American Dialogue, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), League of Women Voters of the United States, Inter-American Foundation, and the Organization of American States (OAS) convened a group of women political leaders in Washington on March 28 to discuss women’s political participation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Held at the Library of Congress and the Inter-American Development Bank, the discussion offered women leaders a unique opportunity to strategize how to increase women’s representation and effectiveness in politics.

A bipartisan event, the meeting also offered a forum for US members of Congress and policy experts in Washington to discuss women’s leadership with politicians from the region. The sessions on Capitol Hill were co-hosted by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representatives Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Kay Granger (R-TX), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Jean Schmidt (R-OH), Hilda Solis (D-CA), and Jerry Weller (R-IL).

The conference built on a series of international forums and initiatives to improve women’s political, social, and economic status following the presidential Summits of the Americas and the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Participants discussed prioritizing quotas as a policy option, the need for more and better data collection on women in office, and the role of men as political allies. Panelists also provided a number of recommendations to increase adherence to Summit goals, including greater citizen and voter mobilization, media outreach, mentoring, private sector collaboration, and training for female elected officials by their political parties. 

Click here to read the report of the event: “Women in the Americas: Paths to Political Power”

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