Participación electoral de las mujeres en la política del Cantón Cuenca: percepción de excandidatos a las dignidades de elección popular en las elecciones seccionales 2019 en el periodo septiembre 2019 - febrero 2020

Abstract

The research problem lies in the relegation of women to the background in the political public sphere, therefore, this paper deals with the electoral participation of women in the politics of the Cuenca canton, from the perception of former candidates to the dignities of popular election in the 2019 Sectional Elections; the information gathering process was carried out during the period from September 2019 to February 2020. This study has been approached from a qualitative approach with a descriptive scope, for which purpose we worked with former candidates, three men and three women, members of different political movements who were participants in the electoral period. The instrument used to collect the information was a semi-structured interview validated by a pilot test. Despite the fact that the year 2020 is ongoing, participants perceive that not only gender is influential in the electoral sphere, but also other factors such as the age, religion or charisma of the candidates. While, for some, women need equal opportunities to enter politics, for others, women require better conditions. It is appreciated that internally in political movements a displacement of women arises and that the absence of proper functions for the so-called vices causes to a great extent relegation and political violence. One of the solutions proposed by the former candidates refers to carrying out a process of awareness and emergence of social movements in search of social change to promote the participation of women in local politics. It is still perceived that women are being relegated to the background in politics.