Women in the Labor Force in South America
Population
- In 2009, women were approximately half of the population in South America.1
Labor Force
Women’s Share of Labor Force, By Country2
Management
Women’s Share of Legislators, Senior Officials, and Managers, for Available Countries3
- One study from 2005 found that 64% of the 100 largest publicly-listed companies in Latin America do not have any women on their board of directors.4
Educational Achievement
Percent of Tertiary Enrollment by Women, By Country, 20105, *
* Data is for most current year available, which is: 2009 for Brazil, Colombia, and Guyana; 2008 for all other countries. Data for other countries was either not available or too old to be properly compared.
Economic and Political Participation
The Global Gender Gap Index is measured by the World Economic Forum. In 2010 it ranked 134 countries on the size of their gender gap between women and men in four areas: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, and health and survival. The lower the number, the smaller the gap is between women and men.6
Global Gender Gap Index Ranking, By Country7
Women’s Share of Parliament Seats8
|
Country |
Women’s Share of Lower or Single House Seats |
Women’s Share of Upper House Seats, If Applicable |
|
Argentina |
38.5% |
35.2% |
|
Bolivia |
25.4% |
47.2% |
|
Brazil |
8.6% |
16.0% |
|
Chile |
14.2% |
13.2% |
|
Colombia |
12.7% |
15.7% |
|
Ecuador |
32.3% |
N/A |
|
Guyana |
30.0% |
N/A |
|
Paraguay |
12.5% |
15.6% |
|
Peru |
21.5% |
N/A |
|
Suriname |
9.8% |
N/A |
|
Venezuela |
17.0% |
N/A |
Sources
1 World Bank, "Population, Female (Percent of Total)," Gender Statistics Database (2011).
2 World Bank, "Labor Force, Female (Percent of Total Labor Force)," Gender Statistics Database (2011).
3 ILO, "Table 1D: Economically active population - Economically active population, by occupation and status in employment," Laborsta.
4 Corporate Women Directors International, "Women Board Directors of the Latin Trade 100 Companies: Key Findings."
5 World Bank, "Enrollment in All Programs: Tertiary: Total," Gender Statistics Database (2011). World Bank, "Enrollment in All Programs: Tertiary: Female," Gender Statistics Database (2011).
6 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2010 (2010).
7 Ricardo Hausmann, Laura D. Tyson, and Saadia Zahidi, The Global Gender Gap Report 2010 (2010).
8 Inter-Parliamentary Union, "Women in National Parliaments" (June 30, 2011).
UPDATED August 10, 2011
