How can institutions be changed such that women need not lose out on processes of democratic consolidation and economic reform? This challenge forms the focus of an ongoing comparative research project, based at the University of Sheffield, examining gender and simultaneous economic and political reform in Argentina, Chile and Peru. The research shows that though women's groups have often contributed to the democratic transition, they have trouble consolidating gains in the emerging or re-emerging civilian regimes that result. This in turn has implications for the gendered impact of economic restructuring. This study analyses which institutional changes are needed to help to guarantee the representation of women's interests and their participation in democratic politics and economic reform.

Chile, Argentina and Peru were chosen as comparative case studies as all three have recently undergone processes of transition to democracy and economic reform, yet have contrasting experiences of these processes. What has also varied is the form and timing of the emergence (or re-emergence) of women's movements in the three focus countries. In each case women's groups were involved to differing extents in the processes of moving from authoritarian to democratic forms of government. Working both inside and outside government, they pushed (with varying degrees of success) for women's concerns to be reflected in new or renewed democracies and in policies of economic restructuring.

Orthodox literature on democratisation, democratic consolidation and economic reform, tends to ignore gender. There is now a significant body of work that encompasses both women vis-à-vis processes of democratic transition and women vis-à-vis structural adjustment. However, the author argues that much of this work fails to link processes of political and social change. More recently, work has begun to focus on the gendered nature of institutions such as states, markets, non-governmental organisations, and political parties. The researcher claims that this perspective can shed new light on how women affect and are affected by democratic transition and economic reform. Research findings suggested that:

• within a strong, institutionalised party system, such as that of Chile, it can be easier for women's groups to consolidate gains made in the transition process
• while women's groups may achieve changes in weaker party systems, such as in Argentina and Peru, these advances may be harder to hold on to in the long run.

All three cases illustrate the need for women to organise both inside and outside the state and party system to pressurise for change. The long-term survival of restructured social welfare provisions, particularly poverty alleviation, hinges implicitly on the involvement of women's community organisations. Policy implications and important signposts to further research centred on the pressing need for policymakers to be aware of the differential impact of economic reform on women's productive and reproductive roles, specifically:

• the longer-term effects of economic restructuring (and not just structural adjustment) on gender relations
• the gender effects of poverty alleviation programmes
• the gender impact of restructuring welfare provision, notably the privatisation of health care and pensions
• the nature of changes in women's participation in income generation in different political and economic contexts.

Source(s):
1. Gender, Democratic Consolidation and Economic Reform, paper presented at the Public Sector Management into the 21st century Conference at IDPM, Manchester, July 1997, (G. Waylen). >
2. How women miss out on economic and political reform in Latin America. Insights #23, September 1997, ID21, (G. Waylen) Full document.
3. Beyond New Public mamagement: Changing ideas and practices in governance, Forthcoming Sept. 1998 (M.Minogue et al)

Funded by: ESRC, UK (1995, ongoing)

id21 Research Highlight: 1998-Mar-24

Further Information:
Georgina Waylen
Dept. of Politics
University of Sheffield
Sheffield
S10 2TN
UK

Tel: (0114) 222 2000
Contact the contributor: g.waylen@sheffield.ac.uk

Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, UK