Participation of women in the decision-making system: the Uruguayan case

Abstract

The article describes the status of women in Uruguayan society and, in particular, analyzes the evolution of female participation in decision-making systems in recent decades.
The important weight of women's participation in the economic and educational sphere is not reflected in an advance in the participation of women in the spaces for political decision-making. This is still very slow, confirming two modalities in the process of incorporation: a certain tendency to female expansion in the "base" spaces of participation (assemblies, plenaries, local organizations, neighborhood movements, etc.), and secondly place, a new initiative only in the "early stages" (recognition of situations and search for alternatives) remaining the decision phase in a predominantly male field. It is concluded that to accompany the structural changes that are processed in participation, women must change their attitudes and assessments regarding the exercise of managerial responsibilities.