Ángela María Robledo Gómez (born 7 September 1953) is a Colombian psychologist and

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

politician. Currently a member of the Chamber of Representatives, Robledo is a former

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of psychology at

Pontifical Xavierian University The Pontifical Xavierian University (in Spanish Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Societ ...

. A member of the centre-left

Green Alliance Green Alliance may refer to: *Green Alliance (think tank), a British think tank *Green Alliance (Colombia), a political party *Green Alliance (Ireland), former name of the Green Party in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland *Green Alliance ( ...

from 2010 to 2018, Robledo joined the socialist Colombia Humana party to serve as the vice presidential running mate of

Gustavo Petro Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (; born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian economist, politician, and former guerrilla fighter who is the current president of Colombia since 2022. After taking office, Petro was considered by analysts as Colombia's ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. Since then, Robledo has broken with Petro and returned to the Green Alliance. She is considered a likely candidate in the 2022 presidential election. Robledo is known for her

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

politics and work to end gender violence.

Early life and career

Robledo grew up in

Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...

, a city in the

Caldas Department Caldas () is a department of Colombia named after Colombian patriotic figure Francisco José de Caldas. It is part of the Paisa Region and its capital is Manizales. The population of Caldas is 998,255, and its area is 7,291 km². Caldas is a ...

. Robledo cites her mother as the first person to introduce her to

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

. Robledo has stated that her family were not wealthy, but made enough to pay for her and her siblings' education. Robledo studied

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

at the

from 1971 to 1975, and would later return to college to attain a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in social policy from 2004 to 2007. Robledo has served as a professor and researcher at both the Pontifical Xavierian University as well as

Del Rosario University Universidad del Rosario (officially in es, Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario) is a Colombian university founded on Roman Catholic principles, in 1653 by Fray Cristobal de Torres. Located in Bogotá, due to its important place in Col ...

. In 2004, she became Academic Dean of the Faculty of Psychology at the

, and would later serve as president of the Colombian Association of Psychology Faculties. While completing her studies, Robledo would meet future

presidential candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

Antanas Mockus Aurelijus Rūtenis Antanas Mockus Šivickas (; born 25 March 1952) is a Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician. He has a master's degree in philosophy from the National University of Colombia, and a Honoris Causa PhD from the U ...

. Robledo would develop a close professional relationship with Mockus, regularly speaking with him about the need to address women's issues. As

Mayor of Bogota In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

, Mockus would make Robledo director of the Administrative Department of Social Welfare of the District (DABS), a position she served in from 2001 to 2003. During this time, Robledo advocated for

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

policies, helping advance the Equal Opportunities Plan for Gender Equality in the Capital District for 2004 to 2016 in cooperation with Bogota City Council member Carlos Baena.

Member of the Chamber of Representatives

In 2010, she ran for the

Chamber of Representatives of Colombia The Chamber of Representatives (Spanish: ''Cámara de Representantes'') is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia. It has 172 members elected to four-year terms. Electoral system According to the Colombian Constitution, the Chamber of Rep ...

as a member of the centre-left

with the help of Mockus. She received 158,415 votes and was elected to the body, and in 2014 would be reelected. Robledo was a member of the Seventh and Integral Commission for Gender Equality. Additionally, she founded the chamber's Peace Commission with

Alternative Democratic Pole The Alternative Democratic Pole (Spanish: ''Polo Democrático Alternativo'' or PDA) is a left-wing political party in Colombia. It was founded as a political alliance of the Independent Democratic Pole (PDI) and the Democratic Alternative (AD) ...

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Iván Cepeda Iván Cepeda Castro (born October 24, 1962) is a left-wing Colombian politician, human rights activist, and philosopher. He served as a member of the Chamber of Representatives from 2010 and 2014, and currently serves as a member of the Senate ...

. In 2014, Robredo would write and advocate for Law 1719 along, a proposal to modify the Penal Code to guarantee access to justice for victims of sexual violence, especially

sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

during the

armed conflict War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...

. Robledo is an advocate of abortion rights and participated in a march to end violence against

trans women A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

References

Living people 1953 births Colombian politicians Colombian women psychologists Pontifical Xavierian University alumni Academic staff of the Pontifical Xavierian University Members of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia Colombian women's rights activists Colombian socialists Colombian feminists People from Manizales {{Colombia-politician-stub