Women's Political Participation through Social Movements and Nongovernmental Organizations: The Case of Compromiso Ciudadano in Medellín, Colombia.

This article examines how women's participation in social movements and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) influenced their political agency and formal political participation in Medellín, Colombia, particularly through the social movement Compromiso Ciudadano (Citizen Commitment, CC). Drawing on interviews and focus groups with women activists, it finds that activism and NGO involvement provided women with technical training, social capital, and collective agency that facilitated their leadership in progressive bottom-up programs—such as Participatory Budgeting, Buen Comienzo, Medellín Solidaria, and the Secretariat of Women—during CC-led administrations from 2004 to 2012. While women played key roles in designing and managing these initiatives and connecting grassroots movements with local government, men maintained control over the highest political decision-making positions within CC. The study highlights the importance of broadening the concept of political participation beyond electoral politics to include grassroots activism and NGO work as vital pathways for women's empowerment and democratic engagement.