Gender equality must become a lived reality.

Given political history in Chile, it seemed to me that there was a critical task of consolidating a democracy and creating healthy civic-military and political-military relationships.

My top priority for 2012 will be to make a renewed push for women's economic empowerment and political participation.

There's full consensus in the military that women shouldn't be in person-to-person combat. I don't know if we have enough experience to know whether this is the right approach. But women can be elsewhere. We have mandatory military service in Chile. I pushed for women in all areas.

The change of the binominal system is without a doubt, a great advancement, it will allow us to be better represented and have better ideas.

As women politicians, we talk about the most difficult themes of state security, foreign relations and development models, then ask, 'How do you make it work with your husband?' The interesting thing is that these women - most of them - don't lose the perspective that the focus is not the position but the job at hand.

Violence against women in all its forms is a human rights violation. It's not something that any culture, religion or tradition propagates.