The participation of women in elected positions is essential to ensure their influence in decision-making and constitutes a direct expression of their right to participate fully in political and public life on equal terms. Although the proportion of women in municipal leadership positions in Latin America and the Caribbean has increased, it is still far from parity.
Definition
It corresponds to the percentage of women elected to the highest municipal authority for a government term. Although the term alcaldesa is most used in Latin America and the Caribbean for this position, the indicator also includes intendentas, prefeitas, síndicas, and presidenta municipal. The result is expressed in percentages. The Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean collects this indicator from the annual report of the national statistical offices of the countries, who compile the information in coordination with electoral authorities based on the latest local election results or directly from the electoral bodies' websites of each country. Data is available from 1998 to the most recent year.
