Women represent 42 percent of the population of this South American nation, but their access to the labor market is limited; in fact, less than half have a job and many work informally, without stability or rights.

Data from the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) indicate that only 49.6 percent of women of working age have a job, compared to 76.3 percent of men.

In addition, the wage gap is a reality, since on average they earn 20 percent less than men despite the various laws that seek income equality.

In education, access has improved, however, only 13 out of every 100 Ecuadorian women manage to reach university, while in rural areas poverty and lack of infrastructure limit their opportunities even more.

Teenage pregnancy and lack of access to reproductive health services and family planning are latent problems and every day 105 girls aged 15 to 19 give birth in the country, many of them victims of sexual violence.

Another urgent problem is precisely gender violence.

Six out of 10 women suffer some type of aggression, and in 2024 more than 270 femicides were recorded, according to a report by the Latin American Association for Alternative Development (Aldea).

Many victims do not report out of fear or distrust of the judicial system.

This March 8, for feminist groups, is more than a day of celebration, it is a date of resistance, a reminder that the fight for equality is constant and that there is still much to do.

Presidential candidate Luisa González, from the Citizen Revolution movement, spoke out on her social networks regarding the event and said: “We are together and no one is going to stop us. Let’s continue fighting for our rights and our future.”

ef/arc/avr