UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN Department of comparative politics Master thesis Women’s Substantive Representation in Parliament A Comparative Analysis of Legalising Abortion in Argentina and Uruguay By Benedicte Einarsen Autumn 2014 ABSTRACT This thesis is a comparative study of substantive representation of women in parliament, focusing on the process of abortion legislation in Argentina and Uruguay. Women’s representation in parliament has increased across Latin America over the last 20 years due to the adoption of gender quotas. The expectation is that more women in parliament will change politics and lead to improvements in women’s rights. When women’s interests are promoted, substantive representation occurs. Given that Latin America is the region in the world with the most strict abortion policies, it is puzzling that the Uruguayan Congress with only 12 % women has legalized abortion, while the Argentine Congress with 36 % women has failed to do so. I use process-tracing methods and in-depth interviews of central actors in Argentina and Uruguay to analyse the process-oriented and outcome-oriented aspects of substantive representation. I find that although the elements connected to the process-oriented aspect (where does substantive representation occur, why is substantive representation attempted, who acts in substantive representation, and how is substantive representation expressed) increase the chances of outcome (here: abortion legislation), external factors related to the context in which the legislative processes unfold provides a more comprehensive explanation for why abortion has been legalized in Uruguay but not in Argentina. i Acknowledgements When writing this part of the thesis, the torture has come to an end. Or, in my case, you do it just to get a break from the endlessly long document that is still a draft with red markings all over to make sure you don’t forget the about one million things you have to consider before submitting. Now that the end is near, I can’t wait to set myself free. However, I have to admit that the life without my thesis, which has been the reason I get out of bed every day the last months, is somewhat frightening. These two years of the master program have been marked by hard work, sweat, and tears. I can’t say I would do it again, but I definitely think it was worth it. And I have quite a few people to thank for keeping me safe and sane along this misty path. First, I want to thank my inspiring and encouraging supervisor Ragnhild Louise Muriaas who have believed in this project from the start. It would have been unbearable without your support and thoughtful insights along the way! I am also grateful to the research group Democracy and Development, for constructive comments on early drafts, and to Einar Berntzen for comments on the final draft. From February to August 2014 I did a full-time internship at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Buenos Aires. Special thanks go to Torstein Wangen, a “sampol” veteran from UiB, who guided me through six inspiring months with his immense wisdom and great sense of humor. I am very grateful to all the respondents which provided me with invaluable information and insights. Thank you, Paola Bergallo, Francesca Lessa, Felipe Michelini and Ismael Aparicio for helping me out with contacts in Argentina and Uruguay. My family has had the pleasure of listening to me complaining and wining for quite some time. I can assure you that it is all over now. I would like to thank all the strong women in my family – you are my inspiration. Especially thanks to my mother for giving me care and support whenever needed, and for teaching me the important things in life, and to my father for all the invaluable inputs, and for encouraging me to take the long and winding road. To all the great people from Masterkull 2012: Keep on Rokkan in the free world!!! Last, but not least, I would never have survived without my magnificent friends! One million thanks to these heartbreakers: Sigrid, Karina, Vilde, Maiken, Maria, Åsne, Solveig, and Sarah! I love you more than the Clash! I alone am responsible for the content of this thesis. Benedicte Einarsen Bergen, 20/11/14 ii To Ane and Cornelia Hakuna Matata! iii Table of Contents 1 Introduction: Substantive Representation of Women ....................................................... 1 1.1 Introduction to Thesis ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Question and Clarifications ............................................................................... 2 1.3 Theories of Women’s Representation .............................................................................. 4 1.4 Analytical Framework ...................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Case Selection ................................................................................................................... 6 1.6 Contributions of My Thesis .............................................................................................. 8 1.7 Structure of the Thesis ...................................................................................................... 8 2 Contextual Overview: Abortion politics in Latin America ............................................... 9 2.1 Abortion Rights in Latin America and the Caribbean ...................................................... 9 2.2 Progress in Abortion Rights in Argentina and Uruguay ................................................. 10 2.3 The Catholic Church and the Opposition to Legal Abortion .......................................... 11 2.4 Democratic Institutions and Abortion Policies ............................................................... 12 3 Theories of Women’s Representation ............................................................................... 14 3.1 The Concept of Representation ...................................................................................... 14 3.1.1 Descriptive Representation ...................................................................................... 15 3.1.2 Substantive Representation ...................................................................................... 16 3.1.3 The “Missing Link” Between Descriptive and Substantive Representation ........... 19 3.2 Towards an Holistic Inquiry Approach .......................................................................... 21 3.2.1 Where Does Substantive Representation of Women Occur?................................... 22 3.2.2 Why is Substantive Representation of Women Attempted? .................................... 23 3.2.3 Who Acts in Substantive Representation of Women? ............................................. 23 3.2.4 How is Substantive Representation of Women Expressed? .................................... 25 3.2.5 What About the External Factors? ........................................................................... 25 3.3 Defining Women’s Issues: Legal Abortion .................................................................... 26 4 Analytical Framework ........................................................................................................ 27 4.1 Analytical Approach ....................................................................................................... 27 4.2 Conventional versus New Approaches ........................................................................... 27 4.2.1 Indicators of the Process-Oriented Aspect ............................................................... 28 4.3 Case Study Research ...................................................................................................... 31 4.3.1 Are the Results Generalizable? ................................................................................ 32 4.3.2 Do We Test or Generate Hypotheses? ..................................................................... 32 iv 4.3.3 Internal and External Validity .................................................................................. 33 4.4 Explaining-Outcome Process-Tracing ............................................................................ 34 4.4.1 Causal Mechanisms ................................................................................................. 34 4.5 Case Selection: Argentina and Uruguay ......................................................................... 35 4.6 Collecting the Data Material ........................................................................................... 36 4.6.1 Doing In-Depth Interviews ...................................................................................... 36 4.6.2 Sample of Respondents and Selection Bias ............................................................. 37 4.6.3 Qualitative Interviews in Buenos Aires ................................................................... 38 4.6.4 Qualitative Interviews in Montevideo...................................................................... 39 5 Process: Where does Substantive Representation of Women Occur? ........................... 40 5.1 Analyzing the Process-Oriented Aspect ......................................................................... 40 5.2 Uruguay .......................................................................................................................... 40 5.2.1 The Legislative Debate in the Congress, 2002-2012 ............................................... 41 5.2.2 Social Movements: Mujeres y Salud en Uruguay