Venezuela

Gender Gap and Social Problems

Marriage and family are emphasized. The average age of marriage is in the early 20s. The 2009 fertility rate was 2.6 births per woman. Skilled healthcare practitioners attend 95 percent of births. The 2009 infant mortality rate was 18 per 1,000 live births, and the maternal mortality rate was 57 per 100,000 live births. Women receive 18 weeks of paid maternity leave at 100 percent of their wages. About 70 percent of married women use contraceptives.

Nuclear families are common, although the importance of extended kinship relations is also emphasized. Women are expected to perform most domestic and childcare responsibilities, while men are expected to support the family. Family members are expected to support one another. Public education is free and compulsory through grade 12. There are also a large number of respected but expensive private and Catholic schools. Female school attendance rates stand at 90 percent at the primary level, 74 percent at the secondary level, and 41 percent at the tertiary level. The literacy rate for both genders is equal at 93 percent.

Social problems include illegal immigration, discrimination based on skin color, crime, sexual harassment, and public unrest. Medical care is good overall when compared with other South American countries. There is a public healthcare system and there are good numbers of both public and private healthcare facilities. Problems include understaffing, long wait times for treatment, and the expense of private care. Common medical problems include heart attacks and cancer. Traditional medical practices such as herbal remedies still exist, mainly in rural areas. Life expectancy in 2009 was age 67 for women and age 62 for men. Traditional religious practices include the cult of Maria Lonza, a historical and venerated Venezuelan traditional healer who is honored with a statue in the capital city of Caracas.

Currently, 55 percent of women participate in the labor force. Women constitute 41 percent of the paid nonagricultural workforce and 61 percent of professional and technical workers. Key employers include tourism, agriculture, service, education, and industry. A gender gap still exists in terms of average estimated earned income of $7,781 for women and $14,397 for men, and unemployment rates, which stand at 8.1 percent for women and 7 percent for men. Women have the right to vote. Women hold 19 percent of parliamentary seats and 21 percent of ministerial positions. There have been no recent female heads of state.

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