Political Careers and “Gendered” Opportunities in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina (1983-2007)

Abstract

This article is focused on the identification and analysis of political career profiles in Buenos Aires province —the largest subnational unit in Argentina— since the return to democracy in 1983. The evidence shows that the inclusion of women from Buenos Aires in Congress (national level) and in the provincial legislature —promoted by gender quota laws— encouraged permanence in this kind of positions and foster career development focused on the Legislative Power. With regard to the discussion on legislative amateurism in Argentina, and the concerns of its impact on the quality of public policies, women legislators would seem to be more professionally devoted than their masculine colleagues and would have more incentives for specialization and investment in parliamentary work. By contrast, female presence is low in executive positions (governors and mayors) which are highly valued in Argentine political system. Paradoxically, the opportunities opened by quotas coexist with “glass ceilings” that hinders women access to positions of high political significance, which entail resources administration and leadership in public policies implementation.