Panel Discussion: Towards Gender-Equal Democracy in Uruguay

Before a packed Acuña de Figueroa Room at the Annex Building of the Legislative Palace, on Thursday, August 31st, the meeting Towards Gender-Equal Democracy in Uruguay took place. The aim was to discuss and exchange experiences to promote affirmative actions that ensure equal representation between women and men in various decision-making spaces in the country.

It was the fifth panel discussion in the series of Dialogues on the Future of Uruguay organized by the United Nations Uruguay. The event was co-organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

The activity saw broad participation from members of the political system, academia, civil society organizations, cooperation agencies, representatives of youth from political parties, journalists, and communicators.

The opening remarks were delivered by the Vice President of the Republic and President of the General Assembly, Beatriz Argimón, and the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations, Pablo Ruiz Hiebra. They were joined at the table by the Director of Programs of UN Women Uruguay, Magdalena Furtado, and the Resident Representative of UNDP, Alfonso Fernández de Castro.

Vice President Argimón emphasized that gender-equal democracy should be regarded as a norm in all areas, beyond the political sphere, "if indeed we are aware that democracy is built with complementary perspectives of men and women in power."

Argimón pointed out that the political participation of women is related to the quality of democracy and, in that sense, highlighted the contrast between the country's "advanced" democratic quality recognition worldwide and the underrepresentation of Uruguayan women in decision-making spaces. "Gender-equal democracy is a topic that calls and concerns us, and I believe it should be the main issue within political parties and parliamentary life," she added.

On the other hand, Ruiz Hiebra noted that gender-equal democracy "is a moral imperative and a fundamental pillar" for any developed or developing country, and achieving it is a "responsibility of both women and men." "Inaction, ignoring the issue, does not seem like a viable option for a quality democracy like Uruguay's," he emphasized.

The Resident Coordinator of the United Nations recalled that despite the inequality between men and women in decision-making spaces in Uruguay, women have a higher level of education. "We must ask ourselves whether we truly want our daughters or relatives to be born with a glass ceiling or whether we aspire for them to occupy any position in society, political or economic, and contribute to them feeling that they have every opportunity to achieve it," he added.

Meanwhile, Veronica Pérez, Ph.D. in Political Science, delivered an introductory presentation on the context of gender parity in Uruguay.

Subsequently, exchange tables were held in which all participants at the meeting took part, addressing the following topics: "Obstacles in Uruguay to progress towards gender-equal democracy"; "Political violence and gender inequalities"; "Financing mechanisms for women in politics."

In the final phase of the event, the main critical points identified in each thematic table were shared, followed by an exchange with Senator Gloria Rodríguez, Senator Silvia Nane, Deputy Verónica Mato, and Deputy Eduardo Lust, members of the Senate's Committee on Human Rights and Gender Equality and the House of Representatives' Committee on Human Rights.

This session was moderated by the Resident Representative of UNDP, Alfonso Fernández de Castro, who emphasized that gender parity in democracy is an "extremely important debate that concerns both men and women," where normative aspects play a key role.

"We must ensure that there is a distribution of power and that this distribution reflects society, where there is representativeness that includes all voices and perspectives, where there is greater shared responsibility between men and women, and that this is not an obstacle that prevents many women, for example, from pursuing their political careers," he added.

This gathering aimed to create an informative space for debate and exchange of local and regional experiences on the importance of having gender-equal democracy in Uruguay

The experience of affirmative measures has led several countries in the region to embrace parity. The United Nations (UN) is committed to promoting progress towards substantive gender equality and gender-equal democracy.