Coalition Politics and the Limits of State Feminism in Chile

Abstract

ABSTRACT Studies of government agencies for women identify a series of factors necessary for a high level of commitment to feminist policy. These include strong grassroots pressure, a highly statist political culture, an organizational structure that facilitates cooperation with other government agencies, international norms, and political will on behalf of government leaders (Friedman 2000; Stetson and Mazur 1995). In Chile on the eve of democratic transition in 1989, all of these factors were in place. Since then, however, Chile's government agency for women, the National Women's Service (Servicio Nacional de la Mujer SERNAM), has not proven to be a strong advocate of feminist policies. This study turns to the literature on coalition theory to explain why this is the case. The level of commitment to feminist policy within a women's agency varies depending on whether a government is controlled by a single party or a multiparty coalition. In a single-party government, the agenda of a particular ministry will closely match the platform of the governing party. In a coalition government-whether in a presidential or parliamentary system-the party controlling a particular ministry is in a position to exercise disproportionate control over policy within that jurisdiction, such that the policy may vary from the platform agreed upon by the coalition. In Chile from 1990 to 1999, SERNAM's policies reflected the agenda of the Christian Democrats who served as ministers of the agency. Under their leadership, SERNAM pur sued policies that demobilized the women's movement, limited the movement's impact on policy, and helped to build an alternative base of support among women.