Diversity and Inclusion in Costa Rica

A country as appealing as Costa Rica is bound to attract a really interesting mix of citizens from around the globe, and as it does, we find ourselves getting more questions about diversity and inclusion.

So, in honour of #askanexpert Monday, I'm going to share what I found out during my research into the topic., broken down into the areas of Gender Equality, Education, Healthcare, the Rights and Freedoms of Women, Discrimination and Disabilities.

Gender Equality

The first part of that deals with Gender Equality. As with most Latin and Central American countries, Costa Rica is primarily a patriarchal society. 

The government is aware of the need for equal rights for women but the process of ensuring it is going to take some time.

Education

Costa Rica is famous for its lack of military and its highly educated workforce, and in fact, was well ahead of the curve when it came to equal education for women, as legislated by the 1990 Act for promoting the Social Equality of Women. 

Statistically almost 60% of Costa Rican women enroll in post-secondary education, a number that is higher than the average male enrolment AND the global average for women which is less than 40%.

The push for educational excellence for all continued in 2017 when Costa Rica participated in the first International Day of Women and Girls in Science in the country, a celebration dedicated to removing the stereotypical gender roles that have been prevalent in society for generations.

Employment

In terms of Employment, this push for a removal of gender roles will open up a wide variety of options not necessarily open to Costa Rican women in the past. While the employment rate for women is over 76% (as of 2000), these jobs were generally in the field of hospitality, food service, or personal care.

However, as knowledge of our educated workforce continues to draw foreign investors, this allows the Costa Rican government a unique opportunity. Now the country’s Investment Promotion Agency, known as CINDE is pushing these foreign investors to create a more balanced workplace by maintaining a workforce that is 50% women. Thanks to their efforts, CR is currently ranked 13th out of 153 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report.

Now the focus must move to equality of pay, which is still an ongoing problem. As women slowly enter fields currently controlled by men, women’s wages which currently average 65% of what men make, should find a more equal footing.

One helpful point is that most wage rates are regulated by the government to ensure that the population is given a fair wage and this will hold true regardless of the sex of the employee.

Healthcare

Costa Rica uses a system of Socialized Medicine which was put into place to ensure that all citizens have equal access to quality healthcare. The socialized medicine is organized in such a way that everyone pays into a fund (known as the Caja) each month, and the amount of that payment is based on their income, so those with lower incomes pay significantly less for the same services. 

As with most socialized healthcare systems, this can result in longer wait times in hospitals. To combat this, there is also a secondary pay-as-you-go system that allows those with more income to seek out private care in one of the private hospitals or clinics dotted around the country. 

By doing so, they allow those with the means to skip the line and the line becomes shorter for those who don’t have the means. 

While expats are welcome to use the local Caja hospitals which accept many types of medical insurance and healthcare plans, (like travel insurance or Blue Cross), many choose to spend the extra and visit one of the private hospitals where the staff are more likely to be bilingual.

The Rights and Freedoms of Women

As the government works to remove barriers to women in the workplace, it has naturally led to more female leaders and politicians, which in turn is leading to a bigger focus on the rights and freedoms of women in society, as well as to protect them from instances of physical, psychological and sexual abuse both at home and in the workplace.

While this doesn’t ensure that harassment or abuse never happens, it does give women the support to pursue charges against their abuser and enforces strict penalties against the perpetrators which can act as a deterrent.

Discrimination

Technically, CR does not have any laws pertaining to discrimination. However, in recent years several amendments have been made to the Constitution in an effort to protect the rights of everyone, regardless of sex, race, religion, or politics, and to deal out harsh penalties to those who disobey those rules.

Here is one such example.·        

“Article 112 of the Penal Coda: imprisonment for 20-35 years for hate crimes motivated by the victim(s)’ sexual orientation, among other characteristics.”

This means that, while the LGBTQ community may not be widely understood by the general population, which is still primarily Roman Catholic, they have a certain amount of legal protection here that many countries do not provide.

Disabilities

While the weather patterns and hilly terrain of Costa Rica may not provide the easiest access for those with mobility issues, the government is working towards making the country more accessible with dedicated parking, access ramps, and a fully accessible public transportation system. 

They also mandate that all employers offer whatever assistance is necessary for disabled or challenged employees and have laws that prevent them from being discriminated against in the workplace.

Of course, those with severe disabilities will find it much easier to maneuver in the urban areas, since the building and enforcement of things like ramps and elevators as well as audio cues for pedestrian crossings are much less likely in the rural areas.

In Conclusion

Ensuring a completely diverse and inclusive society is hard, and many countries around the globe are still struggling against mores and habits that have been in place for centuries, that's a fact.

And while Costa Rica may not have reached all of their goals yet... they are working hard to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity for pura vida, regardless of their sex, race, or religion, and as the gender balance in positions of power change, I have no doubt that it will greatly effect society as a whole.

I have found that the Costa Rican people are naturally accepting and welcoming, so perhaps the struggle for inclusivity and diversity will go smoother here than in other parts of the globe.