The Triumph of Parity in Colombia: a Historical Debt Owed to Women

Within Colombian politics, the gender perspective is important to reformulate patriarchal laws and political structures that make citizen participation impossible, especially for women. Under this idea, the “¡PARIDAD YA! El cincuenta sí cuenta” campaign was born. It is a public-private collaborative project led by the organization Artemisas and the #ParidadYa table. They have sought to establish measures to close the gender gap in labor, political, democratic, and social spaces; in addition to helping the revitalization and leadership of women in government projects. The Datasketch house, as a cultural and feminist center, opened its doors in March to talk with Ángela María Robledo, Adriana Matiz, José Daniel López, Juliana Hernández, and Heidy Sánchez about this project that proposes a change in the country’s politics.

The discussion was divided into three blocks moderated by Heidy Sanchez. They discussed what happens in a democracy when there is no equal participation in elected positions, the importance of opening spaces that guarantee political inclusion for women, and the initiatives within the congress to promote women’s rights in the country. Throughout the discussion, points such as the assertiveness of the laws in the creation of participatory programs and the openness of the government in the participation of women in political and democratic tables were questioned. This project does not seek that they participate in political spheres just because they are women, but that there are programs that encourage more and more women to want to be part of public scenarios for a reappropriation of the space that has historically been given to men.

If you are interested in knowing the views and opinions of Ángela María Robledo, José Daniel López, Adriana Matiz, and Juliana Hernández about the triumph of gender parity in Colombia and their proposals to close the gender gap, we invite you to watch the recording of our conversation, although it is recorded in Spanish, it may be useful for you.