Women in politics: debates on gender quotas and parity within Brazilian political parties

• Grant number: 22/06702-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2022
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Other specific Sociologies
• Principal Investigator: Ana Paula Belem Hey
• Grantee: Vanilda Souza Chaves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/00105-9 - Women in politics: elites, party leadership and gender quotas in Brazil, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

This research project seeks to investigate how gender dynamics in the governing bodies of the main Brazilian political parties affect women's participation in politics. For this, it will be investigated the strategies mobilized by the party elites' and the discussions on quotas and gender parity in the parties. In the Latin American context, one of the main strategies adopted was the quotas for the composition of electoral lists, disseminated in the region from the 1990s onwards. In the following decades, these countries improved their legislation for parity rules, but Brazil did not follow the same path. In more than twenty years since its adoption, the Brazilian quota law has undergone few substantive changes and has not reduced underrepresentation in Congress. Only in 2020 another measure was recommended after a decision by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE): that all parties must implement quotas for the composition of their internal bodies. Given this scenario, and considering the centrality of political parties, this project proposes the use of mixed methods to carry out an immersion in six political parties and to apprehend how the internal dynamics are configured in each organization, with part of the research to be developed at King's College London (United Kingdom), under the supervision of Professor Dr. Rosie Campbell. Firstly, we will investigate how party elites are configured, based on the analysis of the statutes and the executive committees of each organization between 1990 and 2020. After identifying the main agents, it will be possible to analyze their social trajectories. Finally, we will carry out semi-structured interviews to capture the discourses and perceptions of the agents, as well as the disputes and contradictions concerning gender quotas and parity in the parties. Quantitative and qualitative research techniques will be combined, with statistical analysis, prosopography, and interviews with leaders, candidates, and legislators to deepen the investigated issues.