Gender disparities and labor trends in Chile

Chile continues to face regional and sectoral challenges regarding labor participation and gender disparities. In the Maule Region, the April-June 2026 quarter saw unemployment rise to 10.4%, a 2.3 percentage point increase from the previous year, partly due to seasonal fluctuations in agriculture. A significant gender gap persists in this region, with female labor participation at 47.8% compared to 68% for men, and female unemployment at 12% versus 9.2% for men.

Legislative discussions have focused on how maternal responsibilities and current laws impact hiring. Specifically, the requirement for companies with 20 or more employees to fund nurseries has been criticized as a barrier to female employment. A proposed legislative project seeks to decouple nursery rights from parental gender and company size by reallocating funds from the Unemployment Insurance fund to promote shared responsibility.

On a national level, long-term trends show women are increasingly entering high-skilled occupations. Between 2015 and 2025, the proportion of women in highly qualified roles rose from 29.8% to 42.6%, an increase that more than doubled the rate seen in men. While the overall gender wage gap decreased from 31.1% in 2015 to 21.7% in 2025, progress is uneven; the gap narrowed by 10.4 points in low-skilled occupations but only by 4.5 points in highly skilled roles. Additionally, while women’s real incomes grew by 6.4% in 2025, disparities remain as they ascend the professional ladder.