CHILE: La Mujer Goes to Paris

In Santiago de Chile, when the conversation turns to politics, civil rights or, above all, women’s rights, someone is sure to mention La Mujer (The Woman). That can only mean one person: Ana Figueroa, 44, a comely brunette who has spent most of her lively lifetime teaching and politicking for the advancement of women.

As chic as she is sharp-tongued, Ana Figueroa has been a formidable figure at many a feminist conference in Chile and abroad. Last week, armed with the diplomatic rank of minister, she won fresh laurels on a larger stage, the United Nations meeting in Paris. The U.N. Assembly, in recognition of her talents and experience, elected her as the first woman ever to head a major committee, the Social, Humanitarian and Cultural group. Overnight Paris newspapers dubbed her “the U.N. pin-up girl.” Ana has had to absorb many such maddening compliments during her career as teacher, inspector-general of Chilean high schools and leader of her country’s Federation of Women’s Clubs. But Ana never stopped punching, and won her biggest home victory two years ago when Chile granted votes for women.

Taking her U.N. election in stride, Ana let her committeemen know that she expects to be treated strictly as one of the boys. A Saudi Arabian delegate, warning her that the debate might get hot, gallantly offered his apologies in advance. Ana Figueroa told him to forget it. And to a newsman who congratulated her, perhaps a bit too effusively, La Mujer snapped: “Do you know that 51% of the world’s population are women and only 49% men? Diplomatic representation in the U.N. ought to follow the same proportion, it seems to me.”