Abstract

JOHNSON, Niki  and  BENTANCUR, Verónica Pérez. Title Patriarchal violence in politics: Narratives of women politicians in Uruguay. Elecciones [online]. 2023, vol.22, n.26, pp.121-148.  Epub Dec 14, 2023. ISSN 1994-5272.  http://dx.doi.org/10.53557/elecciones.2023.v22n26.04.

Recent studies emphasize violence against women in politics as a relevant factor limiting women’s political inclusion. The literature produced typologies of the diverse forms of gender-based violence against women in politics, both during electoral campaigns and in periods between elections. This article argues the importance of taking into account country-specific characteristics to adequately characterize and comprehend the phenomenon of violence against women in politics in particular cases. Based on quantitative and qualitative evidence from Uruguay, this article explores women politician’s narratives of their experiences of political violence. Unlike other Latin American countries, Uruguay has not registered any cases of extreme physical violence against women in politics. However, the narratives of the women interviewed shed light on the high prevalence of psychological and symbolic violence, perpetrated through diverse patriarchal practices, rooted throughout the political system. The women politician’s reflections also indicate that this phenomenon has negative impacts on their political careers and that the recently introduced mechanisms for reporting and sanctioning such violence are far from solving the problem.

Keywords : Patriarchal political violence; women; narratives; political careers; Uruguay.

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