Under Peru’s current constitution, drafted in 1993, “No person shall be discriminated against on the basis of origin, race, sex, language, religion, opinion, economic situation, or any other distinguishing feature.” Women gained the right to vote in 1955, and in 1982 the Peruvian government ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations of Peru was established in 1996 to formulate policies and protect the rights of marginalized people across the country. In 2002, Martha Beatriz Merino Lucero was elected Peru’s first female Prime Minister, and nine years later, Susana Baca was appointed Minister of Culture making her the first Afro-Peruvian woman to serve as a government minister. In 2020 the country implemented a gender quota election law that mandates that women make up 50 percent of positions in the federal Congress. Great advancements have been made in the South American country, but due to Peru’s deeply entrenched machismo culture, work still remains. In 2020, the UN reported that one in three women experience physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, and from 2010 to 2020, there were over 1,200 confirmed femicides in the country. Moreover, nearly 53 percent of Peruvians think a woman should focus first on her role as a mother and wife. Discrimination, violence, and inequities disproportionately affect indigenous and Afro-Peruvian women who face higher rates of poverty and violence, and lower economic opportunity. Fortunately, human rights groups such as the National Organization of Andean and Amazonian Women in Peru, Minga Peru, and Estudio para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujer (DEMUS) are working to end gender discrimination and violence while protecting the rights of women across the country.
Peru has a rich tradition and culture of women’s physical activity and sport, which dates back to the late 19th century. In 1898, Teresa González de Fanning published Educaciòn Femenina, a series of articles that promoted the importance of physical education curriculum for girls in schools. Women first competed in the Olympics in 1964 and the Paralympics in 1976 with Teresa Chiapo becoming the first woman to win an Olympic or Paralympic medal. She brought home gold in table tennis and bronze in athletics. At the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, the Peruvian National Volleyball Team won silver to become the first team to win an Olympic medal. Between 1964 and 1993, the volleyball team won 12 of 15 South American Championships, five silver medals at the Pan American Games, and silver and bronze medals at the World Championships. Captain of the team, Cecilia Tait, became the first South American to be inducted into the Volleyball Hall of Fame, and in 2000 became the first Afro-Peruvian to serve as an elected member of Congress. In the 2011 elections, Tait, along with her 1988 Olympic teammates, Gabriela Pérez del Solar Cuculiza and Leyla Chihuán, were elected to Peru’s Congress. Kina Malpartida was the 1996 Peruvian Surfing Champion and held the Super Featherweight Boxing World Title from 2009-2013. Sofia Mulanovich is the first Latin American to win the World Surf League world championship and the first South American to be inducted into the Surfers Hall of Fame.
Meet and support global leaders creating change in Peru:
Nancy Chavez
Alejandra Rodriguez-Larrain
How does Peru compare to other countries?
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Women in Leadership
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT AS OF 2020
30%
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN MINISTRY POSITIONS AS OF 2020
28%
Has a Woman Ever Been Head of State or Head of Government?
Martha Beatriz Merino Lucero, 2003
HAS A WOMAN EVER BEEN SPORTS MINISTER?
Unknown
Title IX Timeline
1821
Peru declared independence from Spanish rule on July 28.
1955
Women gained the right to vote (full suffrage).
1964
Rosario de Vivanco became the first woman to represent Peru in the Olympics.
1976
Teresa Chiapo became the first woman to represent Peru in the Paralympics and win a Paralympic medal (bronze- athletics, gold- table tennis).
1982
Peru ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
1988
The Women’s National Volleyball Team won silver to become the first female athletes from Peru to win an Olympic medal.
2001
Peru ratified the Optional Protocol to CEDAW.
2003
Martha Beatriz Merino Lucero became the first female Prime Minister of Peru.
Women in the olympics
participation through the years
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0
-
0
-
13
-
16
-
44
-
18
-
24
-
21
-
16
Women in the Paralympics
participation through the years
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0
-
1
-
0
-
0
-
2
-
1
-
4
Elite Sports Participation
First Year Women Participated In The Olympics
1964
Year Women’s Participation In Olympics Was Equal To Men’s
1976
First Time A Woman Won An Olympic Medal
Women's National Volleyball Team: 1988, Volleyball (Silver)
First Year Women Participated In The Paralympics
1976
Year Women’s Participation In Paralympics Was Equal To Men’s
1976
First Time A Woman Won A Paralympic Medal
Teresa Chiapo: 1976, Table Tennis (Gold) Athletics (Bronze)
FIFA
Fédération Internationale de Football Association
National Women’s Team?
Yes
First Year Of Play
1998
Pay Gap Comparison
Paid Less than the Men's Team as of 2022
Gender Initiatives
The Peruvian Football Federation launched the FAFA Girls Academy Project in 2018 to develop women’s football in the country.
FIFA is committed to the growth and development of women’s football around the globe.
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FIBA
Fédération Internationale de Basketball
National Women’s Team?
Yes
First Year Of Play
1948
Pay Gap Comparison
Pay Unknown
Gender Initiatives
Increasing the participation of women in basketball at all levels was named as one of FIBA’s eight strategic objectives (2019- 2027) and one of FIBA’s three strategic priorities (2019-2023).
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LOCAL
Sports
Initiatives
Community Organizations That Have Signed The Brighton + Helsinki Declaration
