Challenging Male Dominance in Norm-Making in Contexts of Legal Pluralism: Insights from the Andes

Abstract

The gender participatory turn in the Andes has been accompanied by multicultural and plurinational citizenship regimes granting greater autonomy for indigenous self-governance and recognition of legal pluralism. While autonomy regimes have been criticized for legalizing gender discrimination in customary systems, this chapter emphasizes the diverse strategies deployed by indigenous women to improve their participation and secure greater gender justice within communal governance regimes—systems they defend as more accessible than state institutions. In some cases positive synergies have developed between the parity movement and indigenous women’s struggles for voice. In other cases, the absence of cross-class alliances, racism, and party political calculations and interests have impeded the development of a transformative agenda for advancing women’s interests. Evidence from the Andes suggests that strategies of claiming voice and greater participation within indigenous governance systems are complementary to national approaches for advancing gender equality, not in conflict with them.