Together with the Ford Foundation, we are working to understand how and why Colombian citizens have experienced a growing divergence in their political preferences, which has generated a discussion about ideological extremes. In this context, common narratives that transcend socio-political divisions have been replaced by discourses of fear, distrust and very limited female participation.
Polarization is still in force and its consequences are negative for the social fabric, fostering violence and hate narratives. In addition, we have shown that female participation is lower in polarizing environments, making it necessary to develop strategies to combat this phenomenon.
We strengthened participatory solutions to address the consequences of polarization in Colombia. We documented, socialized and communicated our learning and best practices on polarization to key actors, and created strategies to understand the causal relationship between polarization and female participation.
