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Expanding women’s participation

The Superior Electoral Court has worked actively and diligently to improve the role of minority groups in the Brazilian political scenario, especially in the sphere of female participation. Efforts include measures to increase the number of women in elected positions at the federal, state, and municipal levels and awareness campaigns aimed at eliminating patriarchal attitudes and stereotypes. Over the past few years, this Court has sought to encourage the participation of women in the political arena, through: 

Administrative measures, such as the establishment of the Management Commission for Gender Policy (TSE Women) and the carrying out of numerous educational actions, events, and campaigns in favor of valuing gender equality, among others: 

  • Presentation of the TSE Women’s Commission within the Office of the TSE Chair, with the participation of entities and organizations that had petitioned the Court, in support of the recommendation of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in the 2018 Elections, the establishment of a Gender Policy Unit within the TSE. 

  • “Women’s Vote in Brazil” Exhibit – launched in December 2019, told the story of several important women in the country's history. 

  • Website #ParticipaMulher (Women, Participate!) Launched at the end of 2019, the website of the TSE Women’s Commission on the Electoral Justice Portal - in addition to serving as a historical record, it incites reflection on the topic and inspires and motivates women to join politics. 

  • Course “Application of the Partisan Fund”. The objective of the course is to train political parties with regard to the application of resources from the Partisan Fund in programs for the promotion and dissemination of women's presence in politics and proof of annual accountability delivered to the Electoral Court. 

  • “Women in Politics” Campaign. The campaign was aired throughout the month of March 2020 on TV and radio stations across the country and on Electoral Justice profiles on social media, encouraging women to participate in political life and run for public office. 

  • Book “#ParticipaMulher: Por uma Cidadania Feminina Plena” [Towards a Complete Female Citizenship]. Publication that had the participation of more than 20 authors reflecting about the issue of female representation in politics, as a way to contribute to the progress of our democratic process and the enjoyment of full citizenship. 

  • Special edition of the “Revista Estudos Eleitorais” [Electoral Studies Magazine]. In celebration of International Women's Day, a special edition of the periodical dedicated to the history of women's participation in politics and the representation of women in spaces of power was published. 

  • Meeting with the Gender Commissions of the Regional Electoral Courts. In September 2020, a meeting was held with the Regional Electoral Courts to learn about the Gender Commissions of each Regional, and their initiatives to promote gender equality at the institutional level, as well as in politics. 

  • “More Women in Politics” safety guide. In October 2020, the Women in Politics guide was launched, which guides women who have decided to run for office or who are already in an elected position to protect themselves from hateful and prejudiced behavior on social media. 

  • Actions against Gender Political Violence. Launched in November 2020, its aim is to draw attention to the various forms of violence against women in the political arena. In 2021, new videos were added to the series, this time focusing on political violence against women in the parliamentary sphere. 

  • Joint event on political violence against women. Held on 12.4.2020, together with the Women's Secretariat of the Chamber of Deputies and UN Women, the event "Post-Municipal Election Review and Strategies to Prevent and Mitigate Political Violence Against Women" broadcast through the YouTube channel and simultaneous exhibition on TV Câmara. 

  • Event: Women Debate. In March 2021, the TSE carried out a series of dialogues – under the title “Women debate” – under the coordination of the TSE Women’s Commission, on macro-themes related to the issue of gender: equality; leadership; violence; and sexuality, in the context of International Women's Day.

 

Decisions that signal strict positioning regarding compliance with the rules that govern such affirmative actions: 

  • Measures to ensure the effective application of the minimum percentage of 5% (five percent) of the Partisan Fund for the establishment or maintenance of programs to promote and disseminate the political participation of women; 

  • Measures to curb attempted fraud in candidacy registration requests with the purpose of simulating compliance with the gender quota; 

  • Distribution, to female candidates, of at least 30% (thirty percent) of the resources of the Special Fund for Campaign Financing (FEFC) and the Partisan Fund for electoral campaigns; 

  • Determination that the resources of the Special Fund for Campaign Financing (FEFC) and the Partisan Fund for women's electoral campaigns are applied by the candidate in the interest of her campaign or other women's campaigns; 

  • Mandatory allocation of at least 30% (thirty percent) of free electoral advertising time on radio and TV for women's campaigns. 

 

It can be noted, therefore, that the Brazilian Electoral Court has sought ways to carry out affirmative actions aimed at reversing the situation of gender inequality in Brazilian politics. 

We understand that the analysis of female participation in the political scenario over the past few years requires the assessment of several factors, including political gender violence, a conduct that has been vehemently disavowed by this Superior Court. 

In fact, the Presidency of the TSE has emphatically registered the imperative need for the government to be aware of political gender violence and to adopt all means to curb it, therefore, it is a measure adopted within the scope of this Justice with the purpose of strengthening female political participation and increasing the number of women in elected decision-making positions.