Challenging the Tallest Glass Ceilings: Latin American Female Heads of State

Year 2022, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 1 - 17, 28.03.2022

Ruziye Tali

Abstract

While there were four women presidents at the same time in Latin America (2007-2014), there is only one (1) woman president today. Although this is considered as the return of political power to male dominance or the decline of the "Pink Tide", it is seen that women continue to struggle for power with more political experience than before. Throughout modern history, Latin America has had 13 female presidents. Half of these women came to power under extraordinary conditions and constitutional breaks. The election and empowerment of women to the top political positions challenges existing gender roles. On the other hand, their lives and experiences represent a distinctive phenomenon. This study focuses on 13 women presidents elected/appointed since 1974 when the first woman president took office in Latin America. The special backgrounds, family ties, and political experiences that make the presidents different are the subject of the study. In this context, the lives of women before they became president are analyzed with a comparative method. The two main factors that bring women to power are education and political experience. Although it is observed that there are mostly family ties (spouse, father, mother, etc.), or strong male (leader, president) ties other than relatives in the election of women as presidents, this situation did not apply to women presidents elected after 2010. Even if women have one of these ties, it has been revealed that their own talents and political experiences are more prominent.

Keywords

Latin America, Female President, Family Ties, Political Experience, Political Representation

En Yüksek Cam Tavanlara Meydan Okumak: Latin Amerika Kadın Devlet Başkanları

Abstract

Latin Amerika’da (2007-2014 arası) aynı anda dört kadın başkan varken günümüzde sadece bir kadın başkan bulunmaktadır. Bu, siyasi iktidarın erkek egemenliğine geri dönüşü ya da “Pembe Dalga”nın sönmesi olarak değerlendirilse de kadınların eskisinden daha fazla siyasi deneyimle iktidar için mücadeleye devam ettiği görülmektedir. Modern tarih boyunca Latin Amerika’nın 13 kadın başkanı olmuştur. Bu kadınların yarısı olağanüstü koşullar ve anayasal kırılmalar altında iktidara gelmiştir. Kadınların en üst siyasi pozisyona seçilmeleri ve güç kazanmaları mevcut toplumsal cinsiyet rollerine meydan okumaktadır. Diğer yandan hayatları ve deneyimleri ayırt edici bir fenomeni temsil etmektedir. Bu çalışma, Latin Amerika’da ilk kadın başkanın göreve geldiği 1974 yılından günümüze seçilen/atanan 13 kadın başkana odaklanmaktadır. Başkanları farklı kılan özel geçmişleri, aile bağları ve siyasi deneyimleri çalışmanın konusunu oluşturmaktadır. Bu bağlamda kadınların başkan olmadan önceki hayatları karşılaştırmalı yöntemle incelenmektedir. Kadınları iktidara taşıyan temel iki faktörün; eğitim ve siyasi deneyim olduğu gözlenmiştir. Kadınların başkan seçilmelerinde çoğunlukla aile bağı (eş, baba, anne, vb.) ya da akraba dışında güçlü bir erkek (lider, başkan) bağının olduğu gözlenmekle beraber bu durumun 2010 sonrası başkan seçilen kadınlar için geçerli olmadığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Kadınlar, bu bağlardan birine sahip olsa bile kendi yetenekleri ve siyasi deneyimlerinin daha ön planda olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır.

Keywords

Latin Amerika, Kadın Devlet Başkanları, Siyasi Deneyim, Aile Bağı, Siyasi Temsil

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