Social protection and gender equity in Colombia: a closer look at the regulatory framework (1990-2014)

Abstract

Introduction: despite advances in gender equity, gaps persist in Colombia in relation to social protection and few studies in this regard include the gender perspective. In order to know how social protection policies are related to gender equity policies, the normative framework on social protection for women in Colombia between 1990 and 2014 was analyzed through a documentary research, with 17 policy documents on gender equity and social protection. Results: gender equity policies implicitly contain social protection measures in which two objectives converge. One is to promote women’s economic autonomy; the other is to reduce poverty through two channels: on the one hand, the labor market -generally independent-, and on the other hand, State assistance programs, especially those of a “family-oriented” nature. Social protection laws, for their part, include neither content nor a gender approach; in them, the social risk management approach prevails, in which women are recognized on the basis of their status as “workers” or “subjects of assistance”. Conclusion: the normative framework of social protection for women in Colombia proposes measures that “commodify” welfare, with some measures that “de-familiarize” it.