This distinction is significant because it elucidates the current role of women in this South American country, both at the political and constituency levels. Practices and philosophies that may appear commonplace within American politics are disputably still in their infancy in Ecuador. And while women may make up 38 percent of the National Assembly in Ecuador, the power they yield to enact legislature for women’s rights remains largely dependent on the executive branch: PAIS Alliance, the president’s political platform, controls the assembly with 74 members out of 137.