ECLAC CONSULTATION: 64% OF OPINION LEADERS SUPPORT QUOTA LAWS TO PROMOTE WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Santiago, March 10- Most opinion leaders in Latin America support affirmative action to boost parity and the political participation of women, according to a consultation carried out by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

According to the third consultation carried out between November 2010 and January 2011, involving public and private figures from throughout the region, 64% of respondents were in favour of quota laws. In addition, 78% continue to think that political parity encourages changes in the exercise of authority and leadership styles, while 67% support penalties for parties that do not comply with the quotas laid down by law.

The general results of this poll involving academics, politicians and social and religious leaders point to the growing positive political influence of women, as this improves the representative nature of the democratic system and strengthens democracy itself.

In the three years ECLAC has carried out the consultation (the first and second were completed in 2008 and 2009, respectively), the figures show almost unanimous support for some policies aimed at facilitating the political participation of women, encouraging them to enter the labour market, implementing community childcare and health care services and expanding State facilities for pre-school childcare.

In this sense, the percentage of leaders who believe that men should be encouraged to increase their participation in household tasks has increased with each poll: 76% in the first, 81% in the second and 84% in the third.

The 2010 consultation confirmed attitudes towards pro-parity affirmative action, as 63% of those consulted hold this view. The main reasons are the influence of women's movements (48% take this view), the electoral context (22%), the example given by female presidents (15%) and the agenda of international institutions (12%).

Furthermore, most of the region's elite believe that the main opposition to political gender parity lies with the main political parties (66%), although it should be borne in mind that not all political parties are the same in this regard, as they have various concepts or views of society.

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