Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is the most populated department in the country, with 40% of population. The total number of people amounts to 1,319,108, of whom 705,014 are women and 614,094 men. Montevideo is home to most arts facilities and training centres despite the decentralisation efforts in the last decade. 

Since 2002, Montevideo has been implementing equality plans as cross-sectorial strategic plans for gender equality and political and technical tool. In 2015, the whole culture department assumed a leading role in the definition of the goals, including a specific budget allocation.

Objectives

The goal is to provide the public policies of Montevideo with human rights and gender mainstreaming, generating to this end the mechanisms and procedures that make their effective instrumentation possible.

The specific objectives are the result of the five-year planning of the Department of Culture in the framework of the 3rd Gender Equality Plan. These objectives also appear in the strategic planning of the Department and the institutional management commitments. All of these are measurable and standardised by the 49 branches of the Department and discussed with the cultural groups that receive public support.

• Make visible gender gaps in the issues related to the public cultural management of Montevideo.
• Contribute to cultural and educational provision with a focus on human rights and gender mainstreaming.
• Ensure that the activities linked to the different Carnival contests and events are fields of exercise of citizenship and promoters of women’s and men’s rights.
• Make visible women's contribution to different artistic and cultural disciplines (see photo First Woman Conductor of the Montevideo Philharmonic Orchestra 2017).
• Develop gender capacity-building and awareness-raising plans so that civil servants become promoters of gender equality.
• Allocate a specific budget to fulfil the objectives envisaged.
• Make up a qualified Equality Team within the Department of Culture to promote the fulfilment of the objectives.

The Action plan that accompanies the Strategy is oriented to all citizens, including specifically public servants. Among other actions, they include capacity-building workshops for the culture department on gender related issues, the use of neutral language and workshops on sexual harassment in the workplace.

Main actions carried out

Gender observatory: identification and creation of relevant indicators for a gender analysis in the established arts centres (National Theatre, Symphonic Band, Philharmonic Orchestra), arts training schools (Multidisciplinary Drama School and School of Music), Subte Exhibition Centre, Juan Manuel Blanes Museum, Locaciones Montevideanas (cinema), Juan Carlos Onetti Literary Award, and Programme for the Strengthening of the Arts.

 Inclusion of clauses to promote gender equality in calls and contests: Juan Carlos Onetti Literary Award, Regulations of the Carnival Official Contest (see Photo of winners of the Special Mention), Competitive Fund for the Strengthening of the Arts.

Reinas del Carnaval (Carnival Queens): in line with the 18 Neighbourhood Councils and their Committees on Culture and Carnival, possible revisions of an event criticised for contributing to giving women a place of subordination and promoting gender stereotypes was discussed. This led to changes in the regulations: opening the event to women over 18 with no age limit, as well as to transsexual and disabled women. In 2017, another step was taken and the contest changed its name and became: Figuras del Carnaval (Figures of the Carnival).

Carnaval de las promesas (Carnival of the promises) (with the participation of children and teenagers of both genders): changes in the regulations were made so that gender stereotypes are avoided. 

Talks on gender-based inequality in the field of film production and direction: series of talks and film screenings (see Annex: Programme of the Film Season "Dos Mujeres Hablan" 2017).

Conference on Gender Mainstreaming in Drama: along with the debate and reflection, a report was produced featuring recommendations and proposals to be implemented both in public and private theatres.

Gender budget: Allocated for specific actions within the general budget (US$34,500, currency rate December 2017). The budget allocated for gender equality is even larger because it does not cover other expenditures in cultural policies (education programmes, theatres, museums, established companies, Carnival, and so on) in which although the central objective is not the promotion of gender equality insofar as they include this approach, they achieve a transformation in these policies that also has favourable impacts in terms of equality.

Gender Team: A Gender Team was created within the Department of Culture fully qualified to promote and monitor cross-over gender approaches.

Partner Organisations: The partner organisations working in coordination on the implementation of actions comprise the Municipal Equality Teams and Committees of Neighbours and meetings with professional arts groups, CSOs and the Universidad de la República.

At the local government level, the impact has been generally positive, mainly with the involvement of groups of actors within the institution, bringing them closer to citizens and involving them in an issue questioned by the residents in the area and different organisations (Committees on Culture and Carnival and the media, etc).

Montevideo was a candidate for the third "UCLG Mexico City – Culture 21 International Award" (November 2017 – May 2018). The jury for the award drew up its final report in June of 2016, and requested that the Committee on Culture promote this project as one of the good practices to be implemented through Agenda 21 for culture.

Although in Uruguay women achieved rights such as the vote early on (1938), in a liberal democracy that shaped an imaginary of an integrated and homogenous society it is still difficult to acknowledge gender-based inequalities.

As for political representation, Montevideo has few women in institutional positions. In the labour world, Montevideo women’s salaries do not correspond to their education levels and they find themselves in an unfavourable position in terms of labour insertion, income and promotion. Afro-descendent and transsexual women are particularly affected in this respect.

Women suffer more physical and psychological violence. Along with this, there are cases of homophobia and transphobia. Moreover, they still face difficulties when fully exercising their sexual and reproductive rights. Culture has not been immune to inequality problems.

Lessons learned

This has been a controversial issue that has generated arduous debates. Moreover, the repercussion in the media has been marked by controversial opinions on the implementation of the changes favourable to gender equality in cultural policies.

 Supporting this approach empowered neighbourhood groups and promoted cultural changes. Examples: request by transsexual women to be included in arts facilities (Self-Fiction Pilot Project in the Teatro Solís); access to theatre productions for women who have been victims of trafficking in persons; popular initiatives aiming at changing carnivals’ regulations; increased number of women in performing arts programmes, etc. However, in the sectors with greater privileges and professional visibility, the interaction between the different actors was tense and revealed resistance.

 Transferability

At an international level, the presentation of the initiative in fora (UCCI) drew interest.