NGOs, Feminist Politics and Neo-Liberal Latin American State Formations: Some Lessons from Chile

The institutionalization of feminist political demands is a dimension of the transition processes in countries of the Southern Cone of Latin America that has generated renewed debate on the significance of what has been called gaining a female “foothold” in the state. Focusing on the case of Chile, this article suggests that because the state in question is itself in flux today, the appropriate context for analysing this dimension of transition politics is the broader process of state formation. The article outlines the relation between women's movements and the state, paying particular attention to the central role played by women's NGOs. It concludes that gaining an institutional foothold today means becoming, as women, active participants in the new class projects of Latin American states.