Paraguay

Good Literacy Rates, but Gender Gap Exists

Literacy is approximately equal for men and women in Paraguay, at 94 percent and 93 percent respectively. Females outnumber males at every stage of enrollment, with about 13 percent more women than men enrolled in tertiary education. About 74 percent of women are in the labor force, as compared with 86 percent of men, but on average women earn about 60 percent of what men do. Women hold about half the technical and professional positions in Paraguay and about a third of positions as legislators, senior officials, and managers. Working mothers in Paraguay are entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave at 50 percent of their salary.

Women in Paraguay received the right to vote in 1961, making them the last in Latin America to do so. In 1992, the constitution was revised to incorporate gender equality. Women's participation in politics has been aided since 1996 by a quota requiring that candidate lists must include 20 percent women. In 2009, women held 19 percent of the seats in regional legislatures (up from 5 percent in 1993), and in 2006 women held 21 percent of city council positions versus 14 percent in 1996. At the national level, in 2009 women held 14 percent of parliamentary seats and 23 percent of ministerial positions.

The international organization Save the Children ranks Paraguay in the middle of 75 Tier II or less developed countries on issues of importance to women and children. The country is ranked highest on the Women's Index (28th), lower on the Mothers’ Index (38th), and much lower on the Children's Index (50th). Paraguay has a high fertility rate (3.8 women per children) and a young population structure (36.7 percent age 14 or younger). Infant mortality is 24.68 per 1,000 live births, among the highest in Latin America.