Irina Karamanos doesn’t want to be first lady. In fact, she doesn’t believe that the job should exist.
Karamanos hasn’t wanted the job since her husband was elected, according to The Washington Post. In Chile, the job typically includes running six foundations.
While she had initially agreed to the role, she has tried to transform it. Last month, she said to reporters, “The institutional role of the first lady as we know it now will end.”
Per The Washington Post, she had begun to transfer the six foundations to the ministries to make this change. Part of her reasoning was reported as “She wanted to break the idea that a powerful man can be trusted only with a woman by his side, to soften and balance him.”
Earlier this year in June, Karamanos had tried to change the position in other ways. The Associated Press reported that the Chilean government had named Karamanos “sociocultural coordinator of the republic’s presidency” as opposed to first lady.
Who is Irina Karamanos?
Karamanos is a social scientist who studied anthropology at the University of Heidelberg.
According to the government of Chile’s website, Karamanos was born in Santiago, Chile and is married to the president of Chile, Gabriel Boric. She speaks multiple languages and is a key figure in Feminists of the Broad Front. She is especially known for her cultural influence, especially on issues of women and political power.