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South America Ushers In The Era of La Presidenta
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"When people began demanding strongly a change in elites, women suddenly became an option," Lagos said.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]That said, she doesn't believe that the news is all positive for female candidates in South America. In Chile, Bachelet's approval rating has fallen to less than 50 percent, and she is often criticized for being indecisive. Lagos said she fears a backlash against future female candidates as a result.
"She is always saying that when she gets mad, people here in Chile say that she has a bad temper," Lagos said of Bachelet, "but when a man gets mad, they say he's a strong leader."
According to the World Economic Forum's ranking of 116 countries in terms of gender gaps, opportunities for women in South America still lagged behind those of women in many other parts of the world in 2006. Argentina ranked 42nd in terms of equal opportunities for women, Paraguay 65th, Brazil 68th and Chile 79th, according to the survey.
But in terms of political empowerment for women, Argentina jumped to 23rd on the list, ahead of the United States and Canada. Many here credit that to a law passed in 1991 aimed at increasing female representation in the National Congress.
The number of women in Argentina's legislature more than quadrupled immediately after the law was enacted, and 11 other Latin American countries passed similar laws within the next decade.
Fernández de Kirchner was one of the women who entered Argentina's national legislature after the quotas were established; she was elected as a senator for Santa Cruz province in 1995. In 2005, two years after her husband was elected president, she defeated another woman -- Hilda González de Duhalde -- to win a Senate seat for Buenos Aires province. Her nearest rival in this week's presidential election was Elisa Carrió, also a former legislator.
Fernández de Kirchner is often compared to Clinton, another lawyer, senator and former first lady. During a television appearance with an interviewer after the election, she wished Clinton well on her campaign to acquire another title that Fernández de Kirchner has now captured.
"Why not?" she said. "Another woman wouldn't be bad."
