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FOREWORD Iam very pleased to present this Comparative Volume that forms part of the series on “Latin American Women in Numbers”. It signals the completion of a vast process of data collection dealing with eight different subjects on the situation of Latin American women. For the first time a systematic and complete panorama of the women of this Continent 1s now available. The study, conducted by FLACSO in collaboration with the Instituto de la Mujer (Spain) will fill a void in terms of information on the actual situation of women in the 19 Latin American countries. It is therefore destined to turn into a vital source of reference for all organizations, institutions and people who are contmitted to improving the status of Latin American women. Through this Comparative Volume, which will undoubtedly be a valuable contribution to the Fourth World Conference on Women to be held in Beijing this coming September, the Instituto de la Mujer (Women’s Institute, Spain) has achieved the aim it set out to accomplish: to help raise the profile of women in the region and to make available accurate information on their situation. The information included in this volume has, in addition, allowed us to identify those situations that Latin American and Spanish women have in common. I wish to express my satisfaction at the warm welcome extended to the collection by International Organizations, National Agencies for Equality, Non- Governmental Organizations and academic spheres. The project “Latin American Women in Numbers” is a sizeable initiative in the field of Cooperation for Development, an area in which Latin America continues to be an action priority as far as Spain's cooperation policy 1s concerned. We know that cooperation and mutual understanding are essential to discover what we have in common and also to exchange information on the differences that form the basis of women’s cultural wealth. Marina Subirats Directora Instituto de la Mujer \finisterio de Asuntos Sociales de Espana Madrid, July, 1999.