This book discusses the current tendencies in womens representation and their role in politics in Latin American countries from three different perspectives. Firstly, the authors examine cultural, political-partisan and organizational obstacles that women face in and outside institutions. Secondly, the book explores barriers in political reality, such as gender legislation implementation, public administration and international cooperation, and proposes solutions, supported by successful experiences, emphasising the nonlinearity of the implementation process. Thirdly, the authors highlight the role of women in politics at the subnational level. The book combines academic expertise in various disciplines with contributions from practitioners within national and international institutions to broaden the readers understanding of women in Latin American politics.

TomᨠDo¨ek is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the Institute of Political Science of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. He holds an M.A. in Latin American Studies from theInstituto de Iberoamérica,University of Salamanca, Spain.Flavia Freidenberg is Principal Researcher at the Institute of Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Professor of the Postgraduate Program in Political and Social Science at the same university. She is Associate Editor of Politics and International Relations of Latin American Research Review (LARR).Mariana Caminottiis Associate Professor of Political Science at the Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina, and Researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), at the Center for Federal and Electoral Studies of the School of Politics and Government of the same University.Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian is Director of the Department of Social Inclusion of the Organization of American States (OAS), and former Director of the Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation (2011-2014). Muñoz-Pogossian holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Florida International University of Miami.

1. Women, Politics, and Democracy in Latin America: An Introduction .- 2. Electoral Quotas and Beyond: Strategies to Promote Women in Politics .- 3. Critical Challenges of Quotas and Parity in Latin America .- 4. The Variation of Quota Designs and their Origins in Latin America (1991-2015) .- 5. Challenging Gender Inequality within the State: Policy Agencies and Quota Laws in Latin America .- 6. Organizational Repertoires for Advancing Womens Rights: An Analysis of Structures, Groups and Policies in National Legislatures in Latin America and the Caribbean .- 7. Does Gender Make a Difference? The Gender Gap in Latin American Politics .- 8.Presidentas Twitteras: The Social Media Use of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and Dilma Rousseff .- 9. Contributions of Electoral Justice to the Strengthening of Womens Political Rights:  The Case of Mexico in Comparative Perspective .- 10. Women in Elections: Identifying Obstacles and Strategies to Promote Electoral Competitiveness .- 11. Women and Politics in Colombia: Reforms, Advocacy and Other Actions led by International Development Agencies (2007-2014) .- 12. Breaking Concrete, Glass and Cash Ceilings: Conclusions and Policy Recommendations from Scholars and Practitioners.