Women were prominently present in anti-dictatorship movements in Latin-America, and the aim of gender equality was naturally connected to the fight for human rights. The past two decades brought relevant changes in the situation for women, which can be attributed to the leftist political turn on the continent. Nevertheless, the improvement is scattered: the advance is substantial concerning economic areas and education but the improvement is slow on the violence against women, and reactionary tendencies also can be found concerning reproductive rights even in countries under leftist governments.