The Intersectional Politics of Latin American Legislatures

Quotas for women, reserved seats for Indigenous peoples and Afrodescendants, as well as the rise of ethnic parties have all led to growing numbers of women, Indigenous peoples and Afrodescendants in Latin American legislatures. At the same time, deep fissures of racism, classism and misogyny remain in Latin American societies. To what extent has increased inclusion in Latin American legislatures led to greater democratic deliberation over previously marginalized interests? Has inclusion resulted in intersectional coalition-building and interaction across social groups to address inequalities? Using original datasets of legislative production over a twenty-year period in the legislatures of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru this paper quantitatively measures the relationship between increased diversity in parliaments and the content of legislative agendas. The empirical analysis reveals the possibilities and challenges for the substantive representation of intersectional interests. While growing diversity has led to more legislation advancing historically marginalized interests, intersectional legislation constitutes only a small fraction of all legislation, highlighting a need for more inter-group coalition-building. Moreover, the data demonstrates that among legislators, Indigenous and Afrodescendant women are most likely to work across issue areas of gender and race or ethnicity. While these women are strategically positioned to advance intersectional interests, the weight of this work falls disproportionately upon them.