Translated by Tlaxcala
“ ‘Anon’ was often a woman.”
– Virginia Woolf
In
Colombia’s history and political participation, it is men’s discourse, voices,
and faces that stand out. The portraits, names, and texts we learn in school
mostly belong to men. As if they alone had built the country. Yet, when looking
at towns, neighborhoods, and villages, another reality emerges: a country
sustained by the silent, persistent labor of women whose contribution is not
acknowledged in history.
How is
it possible that millions of women are at the forefront of social and community
work, yet have so little representation in the highest decision-making posts?
In this
article, I aim to critically analyze the causes of this great contradiction and
highlight that it is time to transform the role of women in the country’s
history.
The
contrast between women’s broad participation in grassroots social leadership
and their scarce presence in political power positions is striking. In
municipalities like Bello, nearly 80% of Community Action Board presidencies
are held by women, many with decades of voluntary work. Yet, this participation
collapses when it comes to formal politics: in municipal councils it reaches
only 15–20%.
Of the country’s 1,102 mayoralties, only 146 are held by women. In governorships, there are only 6 women among 32 departments. In Congress, after a long struggle, we’ve reached nearly 29%. And today, we celebrate as a milestone the fact of having a second vice-president.
Why,
after more than two centuries of Republic, thirty-five presidents, and seventy
years of women’s right to vote, has Colombia never had a woman president? If
there are so many women leaders at the grassroots level, what explains that
none has yet occupied the highest office?
The most
evident explanation, among working and lower classes, is the burden of unpaid
labor at home and in communities, which falls mainly on women’s shoulders.
Women are usually the ones who care for the home, children, the elderly, the
sick, and who manage basic services (drinking water, health, electricity, road
repair).
According
to DANE (2022), women devote on average twice as much time as men to domestic
and caregiving work. But not everything can be explained by invisible labor:
what about middle- and upper-class women? They have resources to outsource care
work, and they also have time, education, and opportunities to participate in
decision-making spaces. Yet even there, when such spaces open, women are often
relegated to roles as secretaries, assistants, or advisors, while visible,
hierarchical leadership ends up in men’s hands. The “glass ceiling” in politics
is clear: an invisible barrier preventing women’s rise to power despite their
preparation and experience.
Other
factors include gender self-perception (many women tend to underestimate
themselves, while men overestimate themselves), cultural stereotypes (pushing
women to prioritize family over public life), and the absence of female role
models (reducing aspirations to reach top positions).
According
to UN Women and the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE), in Colombia over 60%
of female candidates report having suffered gender-based political violence,
ranging from sexist remarks to direct threats. They face harassment, ridicule,
and intimidation in an environment dominated by male power networks controlling
parties, electoral structures, and political financing, which remains biased
against them.
Added to
this is unequal political education: women have less access to training in
leadership, negotiation, and influence networks. The media reproduce
stereotypes that portray women candidates as less capable, reinforcing cultural
resistance to female leadership and manipulating a public that still views
politics as a “man’s business.”
Women
are the majority in grassroots leadership and often better prepared than men,
but men occupy the posts. ECLAC (2022) notes that Colombia is below the Latin
American average in women’s participation in executive power. Other countries
in the region have already had women presidents, while Colombia remains one of
the few Latin American democracies without a female head of state.
It’s
time to have a woman president
Despite
all these barriers, exceptional women have managed to carve out a path in
Colombian politics. Women who, with or without children, have studied, trained,
confronted sexist violence, and survived political violence.
Carolina
Corcho is one of these exceptional women. Coming from the grassroots, as a
rural doctor, she fought in the streets for the fundamental right to health. At
42, she brings fresh air to Colombian politics: she stands out for her
expertise in public health policies, her focus on social justice, and her
progressive activism.
She
comes from social and professional bases: as a doctor, she led the National
Association of Interns and Residents (ANIR) and the Colombian Medical
Federation. She learned about territory not from behind a desk, but by living
in remote towns where the distance to a hospital can mean life or death. That
experience now gives her the strength to defend a public health system that
reaches the most distant corners of the country.
Carolina
Corcho is a physician from the University of Antioquia, a psychiatrist from the
National University, and holds a Master’s in Political Studies from the
Pontifical Bolivarian University. She has also taught psychiatry and mental
health.
She
served as Minister of Health in Colombia’s first alternative government and has
established herself as a well-rounded political intellectual. She endured
political and media violence: during her tenure she was the constant target of
attacks, many with gender bias, questioning her authority, her style, even her
voice, while ignoring her proposals and technical arguments. Her resilience
projects her as a leader with character and strength.
Currently,
as a presidential candidate, she shines in debates: she knows the country,
urban and rural, economically, socially, and environmentally, and shows deep
understanding of regional realities and challenges.
Carolina
Corcho is a prepared woman with a vision of state: she defends public and
social issues with data and arguments, and when she speaks of rights, equity,
and the protection of the most vulnerable, she does so with authority and
coherence, because she is close to popular struggles. In every debate, the
intellectual gap between Corcho and other candidates is evident.
Carolina
Corcho is and will be an important role model for Colombian women leaders: a
charismatic, intelligent woman, with impeccable rhetorical skill, who feels her
country’s pain. She is a solid leader, persisting, resisting, showing that it
is possible. And with her, all women remind us that Colombia is ready to have,
for the first time in its history, a woman president.
The next
Presidency of the social project we are building in Colombia will have to
withstand strong attacks. Corcho has every capacity to endure them, and to
carry forward the project to which so many have devoted their lives, including
those no longer with us.
“They’re not afraid that I lack experience, they’re afraid that I won’t show them deference.” – Anonymous
Nethie Johana Ochoa is a Colombian artist, cultural manager, entrepreneur, and community leader, with a broad background in social, environmental, and educational processes. Her work has focused on linking art with environmental awareness, promoting projects that foster citizen participation, sustainability, and collective building. She has led collectives such as Guardianes del Quitasol and the Movimiento Ambiental del Norte del Valle de Aburrá (MANVA), and received the Betsabé Espinal award for rural women for her environmental contributions in Bello. As a member of the Pacto Histórico party, she has actively participated in political and electoral processes and was a candidate for the Bello Municipal Council in 2023. She also cultivates writing in various genres (poetry, short stories, articles) as a way of expressing and reflecting on the social and cultural reality of her environment. FB
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