By Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES, Mar 7 2007 (IPS)

Appointing a woman as economy minister does not guarantee a gender approach to policies in this key area, traditionally handled by men. That at least is the conclusion from observing the work of women ministers in Argentina and El Salvador.

Appointing a woman as economy minister does not guarantee a gender approach to policies in this key area, traditionally handled by men. That at least is the conclusion from observing the work of women ministers in Argentina and El Salvador.

“The appointment of a woman as minister of economy in Argentina was an auspicious move and hopefully it will be sustained, but it doesn’t necessarily imply a change to a gender-conscious view,” said researcher Natalia Gherardi, interviewed by IPS ahead of International Women’s Day, observed on Mar. 8.

“It’s important for women to take responsible posts in the front line of government, but that doesn’t guarantee that their policies will aim at developing gender equity. For that to happen, their appointment must be the result of a policy to this end,” said Gherardi, the co-author of “Women’s Participation in Public Office” (Participación de las Mujeres en Cargos Públicos), published by the Latin American Justice and Gender Group.

Agreeing with Gherardi, Ima Guirola, of the Institute of Women’s Studies (CEMUJER) in El Salvador, told IPS that although having a woman as economy minister in her country is “a big step forward, her presence per se has not resulted in policies contributing to greater gender equality.”

According to Guirola, the cause of gender equity may include demanding more representative numbers of women in government. But by itself that will not suffice, because it is more important to be able to exert influence to make policies with a gender equity perspective, she said.

The Argentine economy was entrusted to Felisa Miceli, formerly head of the state National Bank (BNA), and the armed forces to Nilda Garré. There were precedents for women ministers of defence in Colombia, Chile and Uruguay.

These promotions are considered to be the fruit of years of quiet hard work, while these women prepared themselves for top positions, and they had to prove their capabilities in order to prevail, the experts said.

More women in leadership positions have also been seen in recent years in Argentina’s Supreme Court, where for the first time two women share the bench with five men.

And now a woman has appeared as a prospect for this year’s presidential elections, a potential replacement for Kirchner for the next four years. She is none other than his wife, Senator Cristina Fernández. Opinion polls indicate that whoever of them is eventually nominated by the governing Justicialista (Peronista) Party will win.

In spite of the achievements of Argentine women, Gherardi’s opinion is that the appointments and possible candidacies for this year’s elections “do not represent a decision to adopt positive action from the gender point of view.” If that were the case, she said, there would be more appointments and many more policies aimed at equality for women.

Trade unionist Zunilda Valenciano, president of the Argentine chapter of the Women’s Forum of the Mercosur (Southern Common Market) trade bloc, which is also made up of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, confirmed this. She told IPS that Miceli’s work is focused on macroeconomic results, and that there are no specific policies to improve women’s lives.

“Women have many more difficulties than men to obtain credit, especially if they are on their own; and I don’t mean a mortgage for a house, which is the hardest of all, but small personal loans or start-up credits for a small business,” Valenciano complained.

In Argentina, women’s entry into political life since the early 1990s has been assisted by a quota law, which requires that political parties’ lists of candidates for both houses of Congress include at least 30 percent women in electable places on their lists. The same holds true for most of the provincial legislatures.

But where there are no affirmative action rules, women have had less success. No woman is governor of any of the 24 provinces, and only four are deputy governors. There was only one woman in the presidential cabinet until Miceli and Garré were appointed.

She is Alicia Kirchner, the president’s sister, and she heads the Social Development Ministry which deals with what has been traditionally accepted as women’s roles.

President of El Salvador Elías Saca’s appointment of Yolanda de Gavidia as economy minister in 2004 was also a surprise. One factor in this decision was that other women had reached top-ranking public positions, such as the vice-presidency and the office of mayor of San Salvador.

But Gavidia’s appointment, and the president’s promise to promote women’s development by means of loans, childcare centres and other services have not resulted in a noticeable change in economic policy, or a greater emphasis on gender equality.

“The concept of women’s political participation is distorted. People think that women in politics will guarantee a gender perspective,” Guirola said. “This is a myth that needs correcting, because it encourages people to think that by putting women in public office, coherent gender equity policies at all levels of government will be designed,” she said.

Guirola said that although a woman being in charge of a ministry “sets an example,” her decisions cannot be independent of the government that appointed her. And the Saca administration, which favours free trade agreements, is not fertile ground for women’s advancement.

Women working for more political participation in Latin America are saying, therefore, that for women to attain high public office is a right and a step in the right direction, but it is not a sufficient condition for the improvement and empowerment of the lives of millions of other women, unless a social transformation occurs that includes a gender perspective.

Excerpt:

By Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES, Mar 7 2007 (IPS)

Appointing a woman as economy minister does not guarantee a gender approach to policies in this key area, traditionally handled by men. That at least is the conclusion from observing the work of women ministers in Argentina and El Salvador.

“The appointment of a woman as minister of economy in Argentina was an auspicious move and hopefully it will be sustained, but it doesn’t necessarily imply a change to a gender-conscious view,” said researcher Natalia Gherardi, interviewed by IPS ahead of International Women’s Day, observed on Mar. 8.

“It’s important for women to take responsible posts in the front line of government, but that doesn’t guarantee that their policies will aim at developing gender equity. For that to happen, their appointment must be the result of a policy to this end,” said Gherardi, the co-author of “Women’s Participation in Public Office” (Participación de las Mujeres en Cargos Públicos), published by the Latin American Justice and Gender Group.

Agreeing with Gherardi, Ima Guirola, of the Institute of Women’s Studies (CEMUJER) in El Salvador, told IPS that although having a woman as economy minister in her country is “a big step forward, her presence per se has not resulted in policies contributing to greater gender equality.”

According to Guirola, the cause of gender equity may include demanding more representative numbers of women in government. But by itself that will not suffice, because it is more important to be able to exert influence to make policies with a gender equity perspective, she said.

In November 2005, Argentina’s centre-left President Néstor Kirchner carried out a cabinet reshuffle that introduced important changes. For the first time, women were appointed as ministers of economy and defence, areas historically delegated to men.

These promotions are considered to be the fruit of years of quiet hard work, while these women prepared themselves for top positions, and they had to prove their capabilities in order to prevail, the experts said.

More women in leadership positions have also been seen in recent years in Argentina’s Supreme Court, where for the first time two women share the bench with five men.

And now a woman has appeared as a prospect for this year’s presidential elections, a potential replacement for Kirchner for the next four years. She is none other than his wife, Senator Cristina Fernández. Opinion polls indicate that whoever of them is eventually nominated by the governing Justicialista (Peronista) Party will win.

In spite of the achievements of Argentine women, Gherardi’s opinion is that the appointments and possible candidacies for this year’s elections “do not represent a decision to adopt positive action from the gender point of view.” If that were the case, she said, there would be more appointments and many more policies aimed at equality for women.

Trade unionist Zunilda Valenciano, president of the Argentine chapter of the Women’s Forum of the Mercosur (Southern Common Market) trade bloc, which is also made up of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, confirmed this. She told IPS that Miceli’s work is focused on macroeconomic results, and that there are no specific policies to improve women’s lives.

“Women have many more difficulties than men to obtain credit, especially if they are on their own; and I don’t mean a mortgage for a house, which is the hardest of all, but small personal loans or start-up credits for a small business,” Valenciano complained.

In Argentina, women’s entry into political life since the early 1990s has been assisted by a quota law, which requires that political parties’ lists of candidates for both houses of Congress include at least 30 percent women in electable places on their lists. The same holds true for most of the provincial legislatures.

But where there are no affirmative action rules, women have had less success. No woman is governor of any of the 24 provinces, and only four are deputy governors. There was only one woman in the presidential cabinet until Miceli and Garré were appointed.

She is Alicia Kirchner, the president’s sister, and she heads the Social Development Ministry which deals with what has been traditionally accepted as women’s roles.

President of El Salvador Elías Saca’s appointment of Yolanda de Gavidia as economy minister in 2004 was also a surprise. One factor in this decision was that other women had reached top-ranking public positions, such as the vice-presidency and the office of mayor of San Salvador.

But Gavidia’s appointment, and the president’s promise to promote women’s development by means of loans, childcare centres and other services have not resulted in a noticeable change in economic policy, or a greater emphasis on gender equality.

“The concept of women’s political participation is distorted. People think that women in politics will guarantee a gender perspective,” Guirola said. “This is a myth that needs correcting, because it encourages people to think that by putting women in public office, coherent gender equity policies at all levels of government will be designed,” she said.

Guirola said that although a woman being in charge of a ministry “sets an example,” her decisions cannot be independent of the government that appointed her. And the Saca administration, which favours free trade agreements, is not fertile ground for women’s advancement.

Women working for more political participation in Latin America are saying, therefore, that for women to attain high public office is a right and a step in the right direction, but it is not a sufficient condition for the improvement and empowerment of the lives of millions of other women, unless a social transformation occurs that includes a gender perspective.

Excerpt: