Chile boosts gender‑equality efforts with regional coordination and hiring subsidies

In the Atacama region, the Regional Ministry of Women and Gender Equity led the first 2026 session of the Technical Commission for Equality of Rights and Gender Equity. The meeting gathered gender officers from multiple public services, presented regional gender‑disaggregated statistics from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), and pledged continued inter‑sectoral collaboration to reduce gaps affecting women.

In the Los Lagos region, the regional minister of Women and Gender Equity, Karen Berríos Guerra, announced a government subsidy to encourage the hiring of women. The measure offers companies up to 60 % of the monthly minimum wage for four months, amounting to roughly 330,000 Chilean pesos per month, with a focus on the construction sector. The subsidy has already attracted high demand, with Los Lagos accounting for 40 % of the national quota.

Both initiatives aim to strengthen data‑driven policies and increase female participation in the formal labor market.