El Salvador
Legislative Assembly
Data on women
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Basic information > About parliament
Speaker
Speaker
Ernesto Alfredo
Castro Aldana
(Male)
Year of birth
1971
Additional information
Elected on 1 May 2021.
Members
Current number of members, by sex
Men
The number of male parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Women
The number of female parliamentarians who currently hold seats in parliament.
Percentage of women
Calculated by dividing the current number of women by the current number of members.
Age
Average age of all members
Age at the time of the last election or renewal.
Reserved seats and quotas
Electoral quota for women
Quotas to promote the representation of women in parliament.
Notes
Legislated candidate quotas. Political parties must include in their candidate lists for elections to the Legislative Assembly at least 30% women candidates. Political parties that do not comply will be fined an amount equal to 15 to 55 basic salaries and will have 15 days to correct their list according to what the law stipulates.
Elections > Historical data on women
Women's suffrage
Women’s right to vote
Women’s right to vote
Year in which women obtained the right to vote
1939
National or local
Suffrage: National or Local
National
Restricted or unrestricted suffrage
Suffrage: Restricted or Universal
Universal
Women’s right to stand for election
Women's right to stand for election
Year in which women obtained the right to stand for election
1961
National or local
Stand for Election: National or Local
National
First woman in parliament
First woman in parliament
Year in which first woman entered parliament
1961
First woman speaker
Year of first woman speaker
Date at which, for the first time in the country's parliamentary history, a woman became Presiding Officer of Parliament or of one of its Houses.
1994
Specialized body - Women's caucus
Parliamentary Group of Women of the Legislative Assembly (GPM)
(January 2009)
Formal or informal
Formal
The caucus is cross-party
Yes
Notes
The Committee on Women and Gender Equality is responsible for studying and proposing to the Plenary law reforms and proposals that seek to improve the situation of women in El salvador. The Gender Unit is responsible for providing technical support on legal matters to the Women's Parliamentary Group and the Women's Committee.
There are rules governing the functioning of the caucus
Yes
Activities
Issues dealt with by the caucus
The GPM has worked to mainstream the gender perspective into the laws promoted by the National Assembly, and specific laws have been created to address the historical demands of women in order to guarantee their rights in conditions of equality and non-discrimination.
The following laws that defend women's rights were approved due to the support of the GPM:
-Special Comprehensive Law for a Life without Violence for Women,
-The Law on Equality, Equity and Eradication of Discrimination against Women in El Salvador, in March 2011.
Additionally:
-The first General National Budget with a Gender Focus was approved.
-The GPM managed to influence the labeling of budget items through Legislative Decree number 67 of November 2009, which included positive actions in favor of women in the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU).
-Budget allocations of a minimum of 40% for education were established in the area of literacy in favor of women.
-Funds were allocated for cytology and mammography programes.
-In the Fund for the Protection of Persons Disabled and Handicapped as a Result of the Armed Conflict, women benefited from 50% of the resources allocated to social and productive reintegration projects.
The following laws that defend women's rights were approved due to the support of the GPM:
-Special Comprehensive Law for a Life without Violence for Women,
-The Law on Equality, Equity and Eradication of Discrimination against Women in El Salvador, in March 2011.
Additionally:
-The first General National Budget with a Gender Focus was approved.
-The GPM managed to influence the labeling of budget items through Legislative Decree number 67 of November 2009, which included positive actions in favor of women in the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU).
-Budget allocations of a minimum of 40% for education were established in the area of literacy in favor of women.
-Funds were allocated for cytology and mammography programes.
-In the Fund for the Protection of Persons Disabled and Handicapped as a Result of the Armed Conflict, women benefited from 50% of the resources allocated to social and productive reintegration projects.
The caucus has a strategic plan or plan of action
Yes
The caucus has a communication plan
Yes