Engendering a constitutional moment: The quest for parity in the Chilean Constitutional Convention

Chile is living a constitutional moment, and the achievement of parity democracy might be part of it. The constitutional roadmap includes a plebiscite where citizens will decide whether they want a new constitution. The plebiscite was to be held in April 2020 but, due to the COVID-19 emergency, it had to be rescheduled to take place in October this year. If the option for a new constitution wins, a constituent body must be elected. To ensure parity in that election, a group of feminist political scientists and a cross-party alliance of women deputies drafted a parity bill that was approved by the Chamber of Deputies in December 2019, and is now being discussed in the Senate. If the bill is passed in its current terms, the new Chilean Constitution will be the first constitution ever written by an equal number of men and women.