WOMEN’S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN BRAZIL: GENDER QUOTAS, FINANCING, AND COMBATING POLITICAL VIOLENCE

Abstract

This study analyzes the legal challenges of women’s political participation in Brazil, investigating the transition from formal equality to substantive equity within the electoral system. It addresses the extent to which gender quotas, campaign financing, Superior Electoral Court (TSE) Precedent No. 73, and Law No. 14,192/2021 have been effective in combating female underrepresentation. Employing a qualitative, bibliographic, and documentary methodology, the research traces the evolution of women's suffrage and the implementation of gender quotas under Law No. 9,504/1997. It highlights the jurisprudential milestone of ADI 5,617/DF and Constitutional Amendments No. 111/2021 and No. 117/2022, which secured a minimum 30% allocation of electoral and party funds to female candidates. Furthermore, it examines the application of TSE Precedent No. 73 in annulling proportional slates due to fraudulent "straw candidates," alongside the mechanisms of Law No. 14,192/2021 in addressing gender-based political violence. The study concludes that while recent legal and jurisprudential frameworks are vital to deter fraud, achieving true equality requires cultural changes within political parties.