Women’s political participation has increased:

20%

In 2010, five countries in the region were led by or had elected female heads of state: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, the number of women elected to parliaments in the region increased from an average of 5% in 1990 to 20% in 2010.

Between 1998 and 2008, the number of women cabinet ministers more than doubled when compared to the previous decade.

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More women are going to work and managing their own businesses:

50%

In most countries in the region female labor force participation is above 50% and has increased significantly since 1990 with growth rates close to 1% a year. In some countries such as Bolivia, Brazil, Peru and Jamaica, female labor force participation exceeds OECD levels.

Increases in employment in the region have accounted for much recent economic growth, and most of the rise in employment rates can be attributed to women’s increased participation in the labor force.

Women in Latin America are more likely to be entrepreneurs than in other regions. In Latin America and the Caribbean the gap between male and female entrepreneurs is 24% compared to 43% in Asia and 45% in Europe.

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