A female force in the Bolivarian revolution
A female force in the Bolivarian revolution
Friday 08 March 2013
by Laura Ellis
From political representation and employment rights to tackling poverty and domestic violence, women's advancement in Venezuela has been remarkable since Hugo Chavez was elected president in 1998.
But these changes haven't happened by accident. Women themselves have been a driving force behind the revolutionary process and gender equality is enshrined in Venezuela's progressive constitution, adopted in 1999.
For decades feminists across the world have demanded recognition that domestic labour, largely carried out by women, is economically productive. Section 88 of Venezuela's constitution is the only one in the world that acknowledges this and over 100,000 women in poverty have benefited, receiving financial support, education, training and access to social security.
The government has also helped some of Venezuela's poorest and most excluded women buy essential household goods such as fridges, cookers and washing machines, thanks to the creation of the world's first development bank that lends almost exclusively to women.
More:
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/130360
