March 4, 2021
Here is an excerpt from the blog posted on Medium - Argentina Proves the Importance of Representation and Social Activism:
The recent legalization of abortion in Argentina affirmed its position as a regional leader in progressive social policy and underscored the importance of women politicians in these legislative advances. The success of this progressive legislation comes after the coalescence of the feminist civil society movement and the growing numbers of women legislators. Although there remain debates around the tokenism of women’s representation with gender quotas, it is no coincidence that one of the earliest and strongest supporters of gender quotas is also the first major Latin American country to legalize abortion.
Argentina implemented a 30 percent gender quota in 1991. In the 2019 elections, Argentina began to mandate a zipper system for party lists with a 50% quota in which men and women alternate in the candidate lists. The legalization of abortion illustrates the importance of women’s votes and representation for their legislative needs to be addressed.
Read the full blog here.