The greater or lesser presence of women in ministerial cabinets is a direct expression of the political will of the head of state, the negotiations within the ruling political parties, and the priority given to gender parity and equality in the government program.

The first appointment of a woman to a ministry or state secretariat in the region occurred in Cuba in 1948. Since then, there has been a gradual, albeit unstable and insufficient, increase in women's participation in ministerial cabinets.