Fiscal control, meritocracy and female agency. Women's access to public office in Colombia.

Abstract

The feminist discourse has been aimed at achieving equal opportunities regardless of gender, in social contexts that have historically been designed under patriarchal logics. This has led to the establishment of mechanisms such as defining minimum quotas for female attendance (gender parity) within certain areas of voluntary participation, omitting several key elements such as: resorting to the structural causes that affect the omission of equality and inspecting how these quotas can be discriminatory against the rights of other population groups, such as that of men. Resorting to a historical, biographical and normative review; This article reflects on the risks involved in setting quotas for both gender and social subsidy, leaving aside the pure merits that the individual has as a criterion of choice. On the one hand, the system of the universal welfare state proposed by Beveridge is criticized for considering that it is an indirect invitation to set aside the power agency of the individual; on the other, concerns are raised that arise after the obvious gaps that remain in Law 581 of 2000, known as the "Quota Law". It is concluded that the two situations must be observed from the Fiscal Control, within its obligation to protect public assets, verify that resources are used in accordance with the law and evaluate whether the management is efficient, effective, economic, equitable and sustainable.