Sex and the State: Abortion, Divorce, and the Family under Latin American Dictatorships and Democracies [Hardcover]

Sex and the State explores patterns of gender-related policy reform in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.As Argentina, Brazil, and Chile transitioned from democratic to authoritarian forms of government (and back), they confronted challenges posed by the rise of the feminist movement, social changes, and the power of the Catholic Church. Sex and the State explores these patterns of gender-related policy reform and shows how they mattered for the peoples of Latin America and for a broader understanding of the logic behind the state's role in shaping private lives and gender relations everywhere.As Argentina, Brazil, and Chile transitioned from democratic to authoritarian forms of government (and back), they confronted challenges posed by the rise of the feminist movement, social changes, and the power of the Catholic Church. Sex and the State explores these patterns of gender-related policy reform and shows how they mattered for the peoples of Latin America and for a broader understanding of the logic behind the state's role in shaping private lives and gender relations everywhere.As Argentina, Brazil, and Chile made transitions from democratic to authoritarian forms of government (and back), they confronted challenges posed by the rise of the feminist movement, social changes, and the power of the Catholic Church. This study explores the patterns of gender-related policy reform in these countries and reveals their implications for the peoples of Latin America. In addition, it offers a broader understanding of the logic behind the state's role in affecting private lives and gender relations everywhere.1. Sex and the state in Latin America; 2. Four normative traditions; 3. Reforming women's rights under military dictatorships; 4. Church and state in the struggle for divorce; 5. Completing the agenda: family equality and democratic politics; 6. Why hasn't abortion been liberalized in Latin America? This remarkable book will immediately establish Htun as a major thinker ls¾