WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND THE JUDICIARY

Abstract

This article analyzes the trajectory of women's rights in Brazil and women's participation in the Judiciary, highlighting legal advances and structural challenges. Starting from access to basic education in the 19th century, through achievements such as the right to vote, equal pay and protection against violence, the text explores the normative evolution in favor of gender equality. In the judiciary, although women represent 36.8% of magistrates, their presence is concentrated in the first level of jurisdiction, with under-representation in higher courts, a reflection of barriers such as the “glass ceiling” and socially imposed double shifts. Resolution CNJ 525/2023, which establishes gender alternation policies, appears as a mechanism to reverse inequalities, but its effectiveness depends on cultural and structural transformations. It is concluded that equity in the Judiciary requires not only affirmative policies, but the deconstruction of patriarchal patterns and the appreciation of intersectionality.