This book is a collection of short essays about women’s rights in Latin America. It was written by 13 students at the Claremont Colleges from the class “Gender and Development in Latin America” taught by Professor Esther Hernandez-Medina. The essays cover three overarching themes: Women’s physical autonomy, women’s economic autonomy, and women’s autonomy of decision-making. The essays on physical autonomy dive into topics such as reproductive rights and gender-based violence in countries like Honduras and Mexico. The next section of the book on economic autonomy covers topics such as access to education, domestic workers’ rights, and the connection between poverty and femicide in Honduras. The final segment of the book is made up of essays about the importance of political representation for women, including several case studies about the Zapatista movement in Mexico.

Almendarez, Katherine (Claremont McKenna College, Class of 2022)

Andreo, Melanie (Pitzer College, Class of 2023)

Bedoya, Maria (Pomona College, Class of 2022)

Brown, Natasha (Scripps College, Class of 2022)

Garcia, Daniela (Pitzer College, Class of 2023)

Gilbert-Lawrence, Liam (Pomona College, Class of 2024)

Guimaraes, Sofia (Pomona College, Class of 2025)

Heath, Sydney (Claremont McKenna College, Class of 2022)

Hoel, Rowan (Pitzer College, Class of 2023)

Molina, Angela (Scripps College, Class of 2023)

Roig, Ana (Scripps College, Class of 2023)

Ruelas, Jocelyn (Claremont McKenna College, Class of 2023)

Turcios, Ilma (Claremont McKenna College, Class of 2025)

Esther Hernández-Medina, Ph.D., Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, Pomona College