María José Zaldívar Larraín (born 16 September 1975) is a Chilean lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare in the second government of Sebastián Piñera.[1][2][3][4][5]
María José Zaldívar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Labour and Social Welfare | |
| In office 28 October 2019 – 7 April 2021 | |
| President | Sebastián Piñera |
| Preceded by | Nicolás Monckeberg |
| Succeeded by | Patricio Melero |
| Chief Executive Officer of the Teletón Foundation | |
| Assumed office November 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 September 1975 |
| Spouse | Stefan Franken |
| Children | Four |
| Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (LL.B) | |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Zaldívar holds a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and previously served as Superintendent of Social Security and as General Manager of the Social Security Research, Studies and Development Corporation.[6]
She later became Chile's Minister of Labour and Social Security in 2019. She also served as president of the Chilean Supermarket Association and as a board member of the ChileMujeres Foundation.[6]
She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Teletón Foundation since November 2024.[7]
Zaldívar was included in Forbes Chile’s list of the "50 Most Influential Women in Chile in 2025".[6]
Biography
editShe is the daughter of Adolfo Zaldívar (1943–2013), a former senator and member of both the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) and the Regionalist Party of the Independents (PRI).[8][9][10][11]
She is a lawyer, holding a law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC), as well as a degree in history. She also earned a master's degree in public law from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
She is married and has four children.
Political career
editBeginning in 2005, she served as reporting attorney (2005), legal counsel (2006–2010), and Superintendent of Social Security until May 2014.
From 2014 to 2018, she was General Manager of the Corporation for Research, Studies and Development of Social Security (CIEDESS). Immediately prior to her appointment as minister, she served as Undersecretary of Social Security.[12]
At the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, she taught the course "Welfare Systems" and, from 2014 onward, served as a lecturer in the Department of Labour Law. At the Andrés Bello University, she taught "Logic and Language" and "General Sources of Law", while at the University of Development, she taught courses in social security and labour law.[13]
On 28 October 2019, President Sebastián Piñera appointed her Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. She remained in office until April 2021, when she was succeeded by Patricio Melero.[14]
References
edit- ↑ "Gob.cl - Ministerio del Trabajo y Previsión Social". Gobierno de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- ↑ "María José Zaldívar Larraín | Subdere". subdere.gov.cl. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- ↑ "Zaldívar Larraín, María José". derecho.uc.cl. Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- ↑ Chile, C. N. N. "CNN Chile". CNN Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- ↑ "Ministra del Trabajo por protección al empleo: "No es efectivo que el Estado vaya a estar poniendo más recursos a la administradora de cesantía, lo que se acordó fue pagarle los costos de operación"". duna.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-04-03.
- 1 2 3 "Las 50 mujeres más poderosas de Chile en 2025. María José Zaldívar" [The 50 most powerful women in Chile in 2025. María José Zaldívar]. Forbes Chile (in Spanish). Forbes Chile. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
- ↑ Catalina Vicuña (2025-06-21). "María José Zaldívar: "Teletón es el ejemplo de cómo a todos nos gustaría que las fundaciones se comportaran"" [María José Zaldívar: "Teletón is an example of how we would all like foundations to behave"]. Diario Financiero (in Spanish). Diario Financiero. Retrieved 2026-01-09.
- ↑ "María José Zaldívar reemplaza a N. Monckeberg en el Ministerio del Trabajo" (in Spanish). La Tercera. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ↑ El Mercurio S.A.P. (28 October 2019). "Hacienda y Trabajo: Las dos carteras clave de las que se tendrán que hacer cargo Ignacio Briones y María José Zaldívar" (in Spanish). Emol. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ↑ León, C. Ramos y C. "Pensiones y cambio de jornada laboral: la agenda que tendrá María José Zaldívar en el Ministerio del Trabajo" (in Spanish). Diario Financiero. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ↑ El Mercurio S.A.P. "María José Zaldívar: la hija más política del Colorín: "A mi papá no le habría gustado volver a la DC; quedó muy desilusionado"" (in Spanish). La Segunda. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ↑ "Dónde estudió, en qué trabajó: fichas técnicas de los nuevos ocho ministros de gobierno de Piñera". Las Últimas Noticias.
- ↑ "El desembarco en la academia del gabinete de Piñera". La Tercera. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
- ↑ "Aterrizaje de Patricio Melero en el Ministerio del Trabajo amenaza con dificultar negociación de la reforma previsional con la oposición". La Tercera. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.