Beginning in the 1980s, Latin American feminist movements identified violence against women as one the main social problems in the region, resulting from a system of gender oppression intertwined with economic and political oppression. This chapter discusses Latin American scholarship’s most important theoretical contributions to the study of violence against women, as well as the proposals for addressing the problem and the controversies around those proposals. The chapter first traces the analyses of this form of violence under dictatorships. It then addresses how the transition to democracy afforded feminists opportunities to put the issue on the public agenda. The chapter also presents new concepts that have been developed to understand the escalation of lethal violence, as well as Latin American scholars’ and activists’ most recent strategies for ending violence against women.

RESUMENEn este artículo se analiza la aplicación del sistema de cuotas de participación políti-ca en Costa Rica como mecanismo de acción afirmativa para las mujeres. Se analiza además la evolución de la legislación sobre cuotas en el país, la cual culminó con la aprobación del nuevo Código Electoral, que estableció la paridad de género. Asimismo, se discute sobre la efectividad de cada tipo de normativa para incrementar la representación descriptiva de las mujeres, así como el impacto del sistema de cuotas en el avance de una agenda feminista de igualdad y justicia de género.PALABRAS CLAVE: COSTA RICA * DEMOCRACIA * CUOTAS DE PARTICIPACIÓN POLÍTICA * IGUALDAD DE GÉNERO * FEMINISMO SUMMARY This article analyzes the implementation of the gender quota system in Costa Rica as an affirmative action mechanism for women. It also analyses the evolution of the quota legislation in the country, which culminated with the passing of a new Electoral Code that established gender parity. The article also discusses the effectiveness of each type of legislation to increase the descriptive representation of women, as well as the impact of the quota system on the advancement of a feminist agenda of gender equality and justice.

No abstract

Ciencias Políticas, docente, investigadora, activista del Movimiento feminista del sur. * Doutora em Sociologia e Pesquisadora do SOS Corpo Instituto Feminista para a Democracia. ** Doutoranda em Serviço Social (UFPE) e Pesquisadora do SOS Corpo Instituto Feminista para a Democracia.

No abstract