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Women, gender, and Bolivia. A thread. Bolivian Senator Jeanine Añez declared herself interim president yesterday, attempting to follow a constitutionally-ambiguous line of succession. She was head of the Senate. 1/8
When the Morales government rewrote the Bolivian Constitution in 2009, they passed a landmark gender parity law that required 50-50 candidacies and appointments for all levels of government. I have an article about this: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21565503.2015.1084936 2/8
So while women often come to power in crisis, in this case, Añez became president because Bolivia, like most other LatAm countries, has laws that ensure women’s opportunities to run for office. Under parity, Bolivia elected a majority-women legislature . 3/8
The sheer number of women in elected office reminds us that not all women think alike. Yesterday, Añez proclaimed that the Bible was returning to Congress. Critics are highlighting her statement as evidence of an extreme right-turn in the country. 4/8
Her statement evokes the “anti gender ideology” movement, which has gained enormous political power throughout Latin America in recent years, defeating pro-LGBTQ and pro-women policies in places such as Peru and Colombia. 5/8
However, it would be a mistake to portray Añez’s statement as a dramatic shift. Rather, it’s a continuation of a process of undoing gender equality gains for women and LGBTQ+ peoples in Bolivia, one that had already begun. 6/8
For example, in 2017, the Bolivian Constitutional Court—packed with Morales allies—struck down a law allowing individuals to choose their gender identity. Their reasoning: “the dignity of the person is rooted in the natural sexual binary of the human.” https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/gender/2017/12/11/gender-ideology-tracking-its-origins-and-meanings-in-current-gender-politics/ 7/8
So yes, Añez’s intentions pose a serious threat to gender equality gains and to diversity. But her position can only be understood with a broader view towards the forces that have been mobilizing against inclusion and multiculturalism in LatAm and in Bolivia for some time. 8/8
