Sex and the State
Abortion, Divorce, and the Family under Latin American Dictatorships and Democracies

Sex and the State explores patterns of gender-related policy reform in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.

Mala Htun (Author)

9780521810494, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 7 April 2003

232 pages, 2 b/w illus. 16 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.51 kg

'… a substantial contribution to our understanding of the politics surrounding specific women's rights. Moreover, the book is relevant not only to scholars specialized in gender and Latin America, or to area specialists … but also to scholars … interested in gender and politics more generally. it will be a very welcome addition to nay collection of texts on gender and politics.' International Feminist Journal of Politics

Abortion, divorce, and the family: how did the state make policy decisions in these areas in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile during the last third of the twentieth century? As the three countries transitioned from democratic to authoritarian forms of government (and back), they confronted challenges posed by the rise of the feminist movement, social changes, and the power of the Catholic Church. The results were often surprising: women's rights were expanded under military dictatorships, divorce was legalized in authoritarian Brazil but not in democratic Chile, and no Latin American country changed its laws on abortion. Sex and the State explores these patterns of gender-related policy reform and shows how they mattered for the peoples of Latin America and for a broader understanding of the logic behind the state's role in shaping private lives and gender relations everywhere.

1. Sex and the state in Latin America
2. Four normative traditions
3. Reforming women's rights under military dictatorships
4. Church and state in the struggle for divorce
5. Completing the agenda: family equality and democratic politics
6. Why hasn't abortion been liberalized in Latin America?

Subject Areas: Political economy [KCP], Politics & government [JP], Sociology & anthropology [JH], Gender studies, gender groups [JFSJ]