Gender Equality and Electoral Politics on the Left: A Comparison of El Salvador and Nicaragua

Abstract

The long-drawn-out military conflicts in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala have finally ended. Following demobilization of Nicaraguan resistance in 1990, Salvadoran and Guatemalan guerrilla forces signed peace accords in 1992 (El Salvador) and 1996 (Guatemala) with their respective governments. In wake of these agreements. Central America presents a new reality. The focus has shifted from war strategies to consolidation of emerging democratic structures. The revolutionary Left, one of main protagonists in conflict that ravaged region during 1980s, now confronts a new challenge: it must demonstrate to its supporters and general public that it indeed presents a viable political alternative. The guerrilla movements of El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala waged their struggle under banner of social and economic justice for people. Their fight was joined by many women who sought to participate in construction of a new society. Now it is important to establish whether strong participation of women during war is being translated into effective representation in new political structures that have emerged or are still developing. Gender equality is a central indicator in assessing whether revolutionary Left is fulfilling its promises toward its female constituents. Gender can be understood as a socially produced category, defined in Carver's terms as the ways that sex and sexuality become power relations in society (1996,120), Equality is used as a twofold concept that