Women in Chile

Abstract

Chilean society is considered to be somewhat conservative and infused with a degree of machismo. Chile ranked 63rd (out of 144 countries) in the 2017 Global Gender Gap Index conducted by the World Economic Forum. Most women’s rights are respected in Chile and women operate at all levels of academia, government, and private enterprise, although a wage gap is reported. Women’s rights are generally protected in Chile, especially Santiago. The law does criminalize rape and domestic violence, however, according to the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality, one in three women have been victims of domestic violence. The criminalizing of rape does include spousal rape and prohibits sexual harassment and provides civil penalties. Abortion is illegal in Chile under any circumstance.