This article attempts to offer a general panorama of some issues related to political representation of women in Latin America. Specifically, it analyzes the advances made in the representation of women in politics during the 1990s. It offers a descriptive analysis of national cases in Latin America from an institutional focus. In spite of the importance that structural, social and psychological elements have in the different accounts of women representation in the developing countries, in this text emphasis will be made on the effects of political-institutional reforms. Results from reforms have varied considerably between and within countries. They have only been incoherent and disconnected policies implemented to increase female representation during the '90s. We can only deduce, therefore, the existence of intentions on the part of governments to enhance the status of women, notwithstanding that numerous political, institutional, economical and social constrictions continually reproduce inequalities.