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Despite the active and massive participation of women in politics, their access to power and influence political and economic decision making processes is still very limited. The proportion of women in legislative bodies in the Americas is still only 22.6%(IPU), with 18.5% women in Chambers of Deputies and 14.9% in Senates

• Though 46.5% of Latin American women are affiliated with a political party, they occupy only 19% of leadership posts within these parties (UNIFEM).

• At the local level, the percentage of women elected to mayoral office rose from 5.1% to 7% over the last 10 years. The representation of women as councilors, an office that is more often subject to quotas, increased during the same period from 14% to 21% (ECLAC).

• Between 1998 and 2008, the representation of women in executive-level cabinets increased from 15% to 29%. Nevertheless, women ministers are still concentrated in social and cultural portfolios (35%) and remain under-represented in ministries that are traditionally accorded more importance (17.9%) such as politics or the economy (ECLAC).

• At the highest level of the justice sector, women’s representation increased over the last decade from 8% to 19% (ECLAC).

• Currently, 11 countries of the region have adopted quota laws mandating women’s political representation in parliamentary electoral lists, which set targets between 20% and 40% (CIM).

• The World Economic Forum reports that in 128 countries representing over 90% of the world’s population, the gap between women and men on economic participation and political empowerment remains wide: only 58% of the economic outcomes gap and only 14% of the political outcomes gap have been closed (WEF).

Beyond these numbers, women’s access to representation in political, economic and other decision-making processes does not guarantee their ability to negotiate and determine political, economic and social agenda(s). Domination and discrimination are still exercised, resulting in forms of marginalization and violence that impede women’s capacity to present and defend alternative development agendas. Without the necessary support, capacity-building, commitment and follow-up, society runs the risk of rendering   women's representation and participation in decision-making processes a purely cosmetic change.

Within this context, CIM works in the following priority areas:

• Formulate a hemispheric policy agenda to concretize gender parity in political participation and representation at all levels
• Promote of women's leadership in decision-making processes
• Serve as a forum for dialogue and exchange among women leaders on the challenges and opportunities they face in the political realm between Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States and Canada
• Monitor women's political participation, including the fulfillment of quota laws, participation in electoral processes and the implementation of international commitments on women's political rights.