Embassy of Uruguay in Israel

Inmujeres held its main event this Monday, March 9, to commemorate International Women’s Day, during which the progress made in the first year of the government’s administration regarding gender equality was presented.

During the event, Xavier presented the report on the 90 commitments undertaken by the Uruguayan State in March 2025, which were translated into 139 concrete actions promoted by various agencies of the Central Administration.

“In these 139 actions, distributed across the six major pillars we have just mentioned, it can be observed that 82% of the actions are either underway or have already been completed, with less than 16% of the committed actions still pending initiation,” she stated.

The Director of Inmujeres highlighted that the government has decided to place special emphasis during this period on women’s economic autonomy, in line with the institutional slogan for the five-year term: When all women move forward, society moves forward. Gender equality, a commitment of the State.

Six pillars for equality policies

The report presented by Inmujeres organized government actions into six thematic pillars that structure public policy on gender equality:

• Consolidation of the National Gender System.
• Cultural transformation, inclusive education, and women’s participation.
• Women’s economic autonomy and the social reorganization of care.
• A life free from gender-based violence.
• Comprehensive health and sexual and reproductive rights.
• Critical contexts.

Among the advances highlighted, Xavier mentioned the strengthening of the institutional gender framework, the creation and consolidation of gender units within State agencies, the development of sectoral plans incorporating this perspective, and the establishment of monitoring and evaluation systems to track public policies.

“This set of instruments reflects a State that is advancing in the mainstreaming of gender equality across its public policies, consolidating a strategic agenda that recognizes sustainable development, social justice, and democracy as necessary conditions for the full guarantee of women’s rights,” she affirmed.

Economic autonomy and the care system

One of the central pillars of the report was women’s economic autonomy, understood as the ability to generate their own income, access quality employment, and make economic decisions under equal conditions.

Xavier noted that inequalities persist at different levels, from labor market participation to the distribution of unpaid work. In this regard, she emphasized the need to strengthen care-sharing policies, expand employment opportunities, and promote the participation of women and girls in strategic areas such as STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Among the measures promoted by the government during the past year, she mentioned initiatives such as prioritizing women who are heads of single-mother households in access to land from the National Colonization Institute, the creation of jobs for women in new employment programs, the expansion of protection mechanisms against gender-based violence, and the strengthening of the National Care System.

Gender equality and development

At the opening of the event, the Director of the Office of Planning and Budget (OPP), Rodrigo Arim, emphasized that gender equality is a central component of the country’s development.

“March 8 is not only a date for commemoration; it is also an opportunity to reflect on how we build a country that is more just, freer, and with greater opportunities for all people,” he stated.

Arim stressed that gender inequalities have direct effects on the economy and on social development, and highlighted that advancing policies that expand women’s participation in economic and social life strengthens the country’s productivity and growth.

He also announced that the OPP is working together with the National Institute of Statistics (INE) to develop official statistics that incorporate the gender dimension in a cross-cutting manner, with the aim of improving the design, monitoring, and evaluation of public policies.

A State commitment

In closing her remarks, Xavier emphasized that the progress achieved during the first year of the administration must be consolidated within the framework of a sustained commitment by the State.

“As we have seen, the degree of progress in the development and fulfillment of the initial measures committed to by the government is high. It is not enough, and this means that gender equality must continue to be a commitment of the State,” she said.

The Director of Inmujeres also highlighted the importance of the participation of social organizations and citizens in the construction of these policies, noting that the transformations required to achieve substantive equality demand joint work between public institutions and civil society.