El Atelier Urbano

Since December 2023, when ultraliberal economist Javier Milei became president, Argentina has begun dismantling many of the public policies on gender equality that were built over recent decades. What had been a gradual process of rights expansion — with landmark legislation in Latin America such as equal marriage, gender identity recognition, and legal abortion — is now being reversed at an alarming speed.

This article is not intended as a list of setbacks, but rather a thematic overview of how, across various fronts, the state’s commitment to equality and human rights is being eroded.

Dismantling institutions and cutting budgets

The first blow was both symbolic and structural: the elimination of the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, which had been created in 2019 to coordinate public policies in these areas. The ministry was first downgraded to a lower-level office and then removed entirely. But beyond the administrative shift, the consequences were measurable: according to a joint report by civil society organizations such as ACIJ and ELA, the government reduced funding to combat gender inequality by 33% during the first two months of 2024, compared to the same period the year before.

One of the hardest-hit programs was ENIA (National Strategy for the Prevention of Unintended Teenage Pregnancy), a public policy that had successfully reduced adolescent pregnancies by promoting comprehensive sex education, providing free contraceptives, and ensuring youth-friendly healthcare services. Without funding, entire communities are now left without the tools to prevent forced or unplanned pregnancies.

The erasure of content and rights

Gender-related content has also been stripped from professional training spaces. In March 2024, the Ministry of Health removed key materials on sexual and reproductive rights from the official bibliography for the national medical residency exam. This included legal abortion protocols, guidelines for responding to child sexual abuse, and recommendations for providing healthcare to trans and gender-diverse youth. In a country where abortion has been legal since 2020, the exclusion of these materials undermines both the education of new professionals and the real-world application of the law.

Another less visible but deeply impactful setback was the government’s decision not to renew the retirement moratorium — a policy that allowed people (mostly women) who hadn’t contributed enough to the pension system to still access retirement benefits. Without this mechanism, it’s estimated that only one in ten women of retirement age will qualify for a full pension; the rest must wait until age 65 to receive a reduced benefit amounting to just 80% of the minimum.

Legislative and rhetorical backlash

On the legal and rhetorical front, the administration also made its direction clear. One of the most controversial proposals was to eliminate the legal classification of femicide as an aggravated form of homicide. This legal tool — the result of years of feminist activism — acknowledges gender-based killings as a specific and systemic form of violence. The government’s rationale is that “all crimes should be treated equally,” ignoring the deeply rooted and widespread nature of gender-based violence in Argentina.

Another move was the ban on inclusive language and any reference to a “gender perspective” in official government documents. Framed as a defense of the Spanish language, this measure effectively erases women, non-binary people, and LGBTIQ+ communities from public discourse and institutional visibility.

A shifting stance on the international stage

Argentina’s conservative turn has also echoed internationally. In March 2024, during the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), the country’s representative, Ursula Basset, formally declared Argentina’s anti-gender stance. She explicitly rejected the concept of a gender perspective and aligned with countries that have historically opposed progress on sexual and reproductive rights, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

A few months earlier, Argentina had been the only country to vote against a UN General Assembly resolution calling for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls, particularly online violence. The move shocked diplomats across the region and marked a break from Argentina’s longstanding reputation as a defender of human rights on the global stage.

The response in the streets

Despite institutional rollbacks, social resistance in Argentina remains strong. The “Ni Una Menos” (Not One Less) movement — born in 2015 to protest femicides — continues to be a massive and organized force. LGBTIQ+ Pride marches, the “green scarf” movement defending abortion rights, and grassroots feminist organizations supporting survivors of gender-based violence are still present and active, occupying the space the state seems to have abandoned.

What is happening in Argentina is a warning sign — not only for Latin America but for the world. Rights once gained are not guaranteed. They can be defunded, silenced, or repealed. But they can also be defended. Watching what’s unfolding in Argentina is not just about observing what’s being lost — it’s about witnessing how collective struggles for dignity, equality, and justice persist, even in the face of adversity.