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Presidential Candidate Michelle Bachelet: consistent progressive and inclusive politics in Chile are not the exception, but the rule

Last year we heard about the presidential candidacy of Michelle Bachelet in Chile. On January 15th, 2006, she became the first Chilean female president with a 53.49% of the votes.

Although this event was presented by the media across the world as a positive move, it is interesting to note that, even amongst the independent media, news have been expressed in such a way that cast doubts about the capacity of the Chilean society to be progressive and about the role that women have played in Chilean society and its history. They speak of a “conservative society” in which, the sudden candidacy of a women is the unexpected exception and not the result of a long process of social inclusion, participation and progressive policies.