 Policarpa Salavarrieta, heroine of theColombian Independence Movement. Portrait by Jose Maria Espinosa, 1855 | |
| General statistics | |
|---|---|
| Maternal mortality (per 100,000) | 92 (2010) |
| Women in parliament | 20% (2014)[1] |
| Women over 25 withsecondary education | 56.9% (2012) |
| Women in labour force | 60% (2014)[2] |
| Gender Inequality Index[3] | |
| Value | 0.424 (2021) |
| Rank | 102nd out of 191 |
| Global Gender Gap Index[4] | |
| Value | 0.710 (2022) |
| Rank | 75th out of 146 |
As established in theColombian Constitution of 1991,women inColombia have the right to bodily integrity and autonomy; to vote (see also:Elections in Colombia); to hold public office; to work; to fair wages or equal pay; to own property; to receive an education; to serve in the military in certain duties, but are excluded from combat arms units; to enter into legal contracts; and to have marital, parental and religious rights. Women's rights in Colombia have been gradually developing since the early 20th Century.[5]
Women in Colombia have been very important in military aspects, serving mainly as supporters or spies such as in the case ofPolicarpa Salavarrieta who played a key role in the independence of Colombia from theSpanish Empire. Some indigenous groups such as theWayuu hold amatriarchal society in which a woman's role is central and the most important for their society. Women belonging to indigenous groups were highly targeted by the Spanish colonizers during the colonial era. Many indigenous women were subject to slavery, rape and the loss of their cultural identity.[6]
Throughout the colonial era, the 19th century and the establishment of the republican era, Colombian women were relegated to be housewives in a male dominated society. Education for women was limited to the wealthy and they were only allowed to study until middle school inmonastery underRoman Catholic education. On December 10, 1934 theCongress of Colombia presented a law to give women the right to study. The law generated controversy, as did any issue related to women's rights at the time.
| Human rights in Colombia |
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Before 1933 women in Colombia were only allowed schooling until middle school level education.Liberal congressmanJorge Eliécer Gaitán defended the decree Number 1972 of 1933 to allow women to receive higher education schooling, while the conservativeGermán Arciniegas opposed it. The decree passed and was signed by the Liberal government ofAlfonso López Pumarejo. The state-ownedNational University of Colombia was the first higher education institution to allow female students.Gerda Westendorp was admitted on February 1, 1935, to studymedicine.Gabriela Peláez, who was admitted as a student in 1936 and graduated as alawyer, became the first female to ever graduate from a university in Colombia. In 1936,María Carulla founded the first school of social works under the support of theOur Lady of the Rosary University. After this, women began to be seen by many as equal to men for their academic achievements, creativity, and discipline. At the same time, citizens began to support the idea of citizenship for women following the example of other countries. The constant political violence, social issues, and economic problems were among the main subjects of study for women, mainly in the areas offamily violence and couple relationships, and also inchildren abuse.
A group of women led byGeorgina Fletcher met with then-president of ColombiaEnrique Olaya Herrera with the intention of asking him to support the transformation of the Colombian legislation regarding women's rights to administer properties. The law was namedley sobre Régimen de Capitulaciones Matrimoniales ("Law about marriage capitulations regime") which was later proposed in congress in December 1930 byOfelia Uribe as a constitutional reform. The law's main objective was to allow women to administer their properties and not their husbands, male relatives or tutors, as had been the case. The move generated a scandal in congress. It did not pass, and later generated persecutions and plotting against the group of women. As leader of the group, Georgina Fletcher was persecuted and isolated. TheRégimen de Capitulaciones Matrimoniales was once again presented in congress in 1932 and approved intoLaw 28 of 1932.
Women's right to suffrage was granted by Colombian politicalGustavo Rojas Pinilla in 1954, but had its origins in the 1930s with the struggle of women to acquire full citizenship. In 1957 women first voted in Colombia on a plebiscite.
Cohabitation is very common in this country, and the majority of children are born outside of marriage. In the 2000s, 55,8% of births were to cohabiting mothers, 22,9% to married mothers, and 21,3% to single mothers (not living with a partner).[7] Family life has changed dramatically during the last decades: in the 1970s, 68,8% of births were inside marriage;[7] and divorce was legalized only in 1991.[8]
In the 1990s, Colombia enactedLey 294 de 1996, in order to fight domestic violence.[9] In 2008,Ley 1257 de 2008, a comprehensive law againstviolence against women was enacted.[10]Marital rape was criminalized in 1996.[11] Article 42 of theConstitution of Colombia provides that "Family relations are based on the equality of rights and duties of the couple and on the mutual respect of all its members. Any form of violence in the family is considered destructive of its harmony and unity, and will be sanctioned according to law."[11]
Abortion in Colombia has been historically severely restricted, with the laws being loosened in 2006 and 2009 (before 2006 Colombia was one of few counties in the world to have a complete ban on abortion);[12] and in 2022 abortion on request was legalized to the 24th week of pregnancy, by a ruling of the Constitutional Court on February 21, 2022.[13] Up until that point, women who had abortions in this largely Catholic nation faced sentences ranging from 16 to 54 months in prison. According to this decision, women may obtain an abortion up until the sixth month of pregnancy for any reason. A 2006 court decision that also allowed doctors to refuse to perform abortions based on personal beliefs stated that this was previously only permitted in cases of rape, if the mother's health was in danger, or if the fetus had an untreatable malformation.[14]
Thearmed conflict in the country has had a very negative effect on women, especially by exposing them to gender-based violence.[15] It is reported that one in five of women who were displaced due to the conflict were raped.[11]
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