ABSTRACT
Substantive representation involves women leaders' responsiveness to the political interests of women, assessing whether they advocate for women's policies once in office. The researches exploring substantive representation among women Latin American legislators found that their primary focus was as wives and mothers. The women legislators hailing from liberal parties and espousing feminist views place greater emphasis on women's substantive representation. Gender scholars explore four aspects of representation, suggesting the difference women make as office holders: formalistic, descriptive, substantive and symbolic. This chapter explores the cases of Michelle Bachelet, Cristina Fernandez, Laura Chinchilla, and Dilma Rousseff, it addresses whether the global patterns previously identified still prove salient or recent developments represent a new wave of political opportunity for women and the executive. The chapter examines these leaders in depth because they share commonalities of region and timing, arose in relatively democratic and stable settings, gained election directly by the public, and exercise significant powers.
