Trade Union Participation of Afro-Descendant Women in Chocó, Colombia: A Socio-Legal and Intersectional Analysis

Yolanda Moreno Mena; David Mendieta; Natalia Andrea Salinas Arango

doi:10.5007/2177-7055.2026.e115103

Authors

Yolanda Moreno Mena Universidad de Medellín https://orcid.org/0009-0007-5731-5109
David Mendieta Universidad de Medellín https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6944-6815
Natalia Andrea Salinas Arango Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1369-514X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2177-7055.2026.e115103

Keywords:

Structural discrimination, Freedom of association, Women's leadership, Territorial exclusion

Abstract

This study analyzes the dynamics of social exclusion affecting the participation of Afro-descendant women in trade union organizations in Chocó, Colombia, between 2000 and 2025. Adopting a socio-legal, intersectional, and territorial perspective, the study seeks to understand the barriers that limit their access to representative spaces and the strategies that strengthen their collective action. A qualitative case-study methodology was employed, combining documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews, and surveys conducted with 30 participants. The findings reveal persistent organizational racism, sexism within trade unions, precarious working conditions, territorial inequalities, and training gaps, all of which constrain women’s leadership and the continuity of organizational processes. At the same time, the study identifies practices of resistance, support networks, self-directed learning, and the development of autonomous agendas that strengthen women’s political influence across different trade union settings. The study concludes that achieving more equitable trade union participation for Afro-descendant women requires institutional and organizational responses grounded in differential, territorial, and intersectional approaches aimed at reducing existing inequalities.

Author Biographies

Yolanda Moreno Mena, Universidad de Medellín

Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Physics; Master’s Degree in Conflict and Peace. PhD Candidate in Law, Universidad de Medellín. Classroom teacher. Research line: Afro-descendant women and civic participation.

David Mendieta, Universidad de Medellín

Universidad de Medellín. Attorney, Specialist in Constitutional Law, and Master’s Degree in Law from the Universidad de Antioquia. Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) and PhD in Constitutional Law from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Full-time Professor at the Universidad de Medellín. Member of the Legal Research Group at the Faculty of Law, Universidad de Medellín (A2 MinCiencias category). Research lines: 1) Democracy and the Rule of Law, and 2) Citizenship and Human Rights. Medellín, Colombia. Editor of the journal Opinión Jurídica.

Natalia Andrea Salinas Arango, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana

Social Worker, Master’s Degree in History, and PhD in Philosophy. Full-time Professor at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. Coordinator of the Territory, Socio-Cultural Dynamics, and Families Research Group (A1 MinCiencias category). Research lines: 1) Cultural, Political, and Gender Studies; 2) Citizenship, Violence, Peace, and Political Culture for Democracy.

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