Leticia Artiles Visbal
FEMINIST, MOVEMENT
The characteristics of the feminist movement in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) reflect the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, economic, and social complexity of the region. Feminism is a transformative political ideology, beyond the categorical grouping of “woman”; it is not a matter of sex, but a commitment to challenging the prevailing patriarchal system that violates rights and reinforces multiple oppressions related to territory, class, ethnicity, skin color, generation, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
The first wave linked to suffrage was limited due to successive coups. Uruguayan women were the first to vote (1927) but only gained public representation five years later; other countries followed later. Experts place the emergence of the women’s movement in the second wave of the 1970s-1980s, consolidating feminist agendas in the 1990s. In the 1970s, actions brought the private sphere into the public, influencing global conferences on women and the International Women’s Year (1975) and the Decade for Women (1975-1985).
In the 1980s, the movement expanded into three strands: feminist, urban-popular women, and those linked to unions or political parties. It initially spread across Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, and Cuba. Feminist organizations engaged in the fight against dictatorships and for human rights. Examples: Madres de Plaza de Mayo (Argentina); Las Dignas (El Salvador); Centro de la Mujer Peruana “Flora Tristán” and Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres (Peru).
At the beginning of the 21st century, approaches expanded to diversity and the political empowerment of women’s bodies. A “decolonial feminism” was proposed, detached from the colonial power matrix. The feminist movement in LAC has been led by civil society organizations through advocacy, political action, community feminism, LGBTIQ inclusion, and social media strategies, raising visibility on abuse, feminicides, and gender violence (#MeToo, #NiUnaMenos).
The movement’s agendas include sexual and reproductive rights, abortion decriminalization, violence against women, anti-capitalism, political participation, democratic reconceptualization, critique of institutionalized feminism, and opposition to religious fundamentalism. Strategies aim to promote gender justice and dismantle patriarchy, grounded in community logic and feminist relationships.
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Author: L. Artiles Visbal
