SHARECountry Data
Brazil (Federative Republic of Brazil) has a Bicameral parliament with the use of voluntary party quotas and legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 91 of 513 (18%) seats in the Cámara dos Deputados / Chamber of Deputies are held by women.
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Bicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
- For the Single/Lower House? Yes
- For the Upper House? No
- For the Sub-National Level? Yes
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? Yes
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Jan 27, 2023
Single/Lower House
Cámara dos Deputados / Chamber of Deputies
| Total seats | 513 |
| Total Women | 91 |
| % Women | 18% |
| Election Year | 2022 |
| Electoral System | List PR |
| Quota Type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | Article 10.3 of Law 9.504/1997 (amended by law 12.034/2009) establishes that elections to the Chamber of Deputies are held using a list proportional representation system. Each list shall contain a minimum 30% and a maximum 70% of candidates of each sex. |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | If the gender quota requirement is not met, candidates of the over-represented sex can be removed (but not replaced by candidates of the under-represented sex). However, this only applies if the party submits candidates of the stipulated maximum per constituency. This maximum was raised from 100% to 150% of total seats per constituency with the introduction of the quota law. Subsequently, this provision has minimized the effect of the quota provisions. |
| Rank order/placement rules | No | None |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Upper House
Senado Federal / Federal Senate
| Total seats | 81 |
| Total Women | 12 |
| % Women | 15% |
| Election Year | 2018 |
| Electoral System | FPTP |
| Quota Type | No legislated> |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: No legislated | Electoral law | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | No | |
| Rank order/placement rules | No | None |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
- Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Constitution | |
| Electoral law | Each list shall contain a minimum 30% and a maximum 70% of candidates of each sex (Article 10 (3)). | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law | If the minimum per centage is not met, candidates of the over-represented sex can be removed (but not replaced by candidates of the under-represented sex). However, this only applies if the party submits candidates of the stipulated maximum per constituency. This maximum was raised from 100% to 150% per cent of total seats per constituency with the introduction of the quota law. This provision has in practice minimized the effect of the quota provisions. |
| Rank order/placement rules | No | None |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official name | Details, Quota provisions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workers' Party | Partido dos Trabalhadores [PT] | Party directors, delegations and positions with specific function of secretariats shall having gender parity (50% women and 50% men). (Article 22 (IV)) |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional Information
In 1995, Brazil adopted a 20% minimum quota for female candidates in local elections and, in 1997, a new electoral law established that each party or coalition must include a minimum of 30% and a maximum of 70% of each gender for elections at any level, held through a proportional representation system. In addition, a 2009 amendment to the electoral law requires that political parties use at least 10% of their free broadcast time and 5% of their public campaign funds to promote the participation of women in politics.
A minimum of 5% of party funds shall be used to promote the political participation of women. Parties that don´t comply to this legislation must add a penalty of 12.5 percent of the amount that also has to be allocated to promote women’s participation. 10% of the total party air time should be used to promote women's participation. In the third and fourth elections following enactment, parties must allocate at least 15 percent of the total air time to promote women´s participation.
The Superior Electoral Court will also air 5 minutes of educational campaigns on radio and TV to foster women's political participation per day during the election campaign.
Sources
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of Brazil (Portuguese version)
- Constitution of Brazil (English version)
- Law no. 9.504 establishing standards for the elections of 30 September 1997 (rev. 2018)
OTHER SOURCES:
- Araujo, C (2015): "Más allá de los Números: Las Mujeres Transforman el Poder Legislativo en América Latina y el Caribe. Estudio del País: Brasil". UNDP in collaboration with the Spanish Government.
- Llanos, B (2019): “Surcando olas y contra-olas. Una mirada paritaria a los derechos políticos de las mujeres en América Latina.“. Atenea, International IDEA, ONU Mujeres, UNDP.
- Llanos, B. and Sample, K. (eds), 'From Words to Action: Best Practices for Women’s Participation in Latin American Political Parties' (Stockholm: International IDEA, 2008).
-
Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU Parline Brazil
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Brazil on iKNOW Politics
- Miguel, L. F. 2008 'Las mujeres y la política partidaria' in Sample, K. and Llanos, B. (ed) Del Dicho al Hecho International IDEA
- Schmidt, G & Araújo, C. ‘The Devil’s in the Details: Open List Voting and Gender Quotas in Brazil and Peru’, paper presented at the XXV International Congress of Latin American Studies Association, Las Vegas, October 2004.
- Araújo, C. 2003. ‘Quotas for Women in the Brazilian Legislative System’, in International IDEA, The Implementation of Quotas: Latin American Experiences, Quota Workshop Report Series no. 2, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 72–87.
- Htun, M. N. 2002. ‘Puzzles of Women's Rights in Brazil.’ Social Research 69, no. 3. pp. 733-751.
- Peschard, J. 2002. ‘El sistema de cuotas en América Latina. Panorama general,’ in International IDEA. Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 173-186.
- Htun, M. N. & Jones, M. P. 2002. ‘Engendering the Right to Participate in Decision-Making: Electoral Quotas and Women's Leadership in Latin America.’ Craske, N. & Molyneux, M.(ed.) Gender and the Politics of Rights and Democracy in Latin America. New York: Palgrave. pp. 32-56.
- Htun, M. N. 2002. ‘Mujeres y poder político en Latinoamérica,’ in International IDEA, Mujeres en el Parlamento. Más allá de los números, Stockholm: International IDEA, pp. 19-44.
- Araújo, C. 2002. ‘Ações afirmativas como estratégias políticas feministas’. Gênero, democracia e sociedade Brasileira, ed. Cristina Bruschini and Sandra G. Unbehaum. São Paulo: Fundação Carlos Chagas.
- Avelar, L. 2001. Mulheres na elite política brasileira. 2nd ed. São Paulo: Fundação Konrad Adenauer.
- Jimenez Polanco, J. 2001. ‘La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine: une analyse comparée’ (Women's political representation in Latin America: a comparative analysis). Bérengère Marques-Pereira and Patricio Nolasco (ed.) La représentation politique des femmes en Amérique Latine(Women's political representation in Latin America). Brussels: L'Harmattan. pp. 27-81.
- Arajo, C. 2001b. ‘Analisnado Estratgias potencialidades e limites das polticas de cuotas do Brasil’, in Revista Estudos Feministas, Vol 9, n. 1.
- Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas. 2001. Women and Power in the Americas: A Report Card. Washington: Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Arajo, C. 2001a. ‘As cuotas por sexo para a competio legislative: o caso brasileiro em comparao com as experincias internacionais’, in Revista Dados, Vol 44, n. 1.
- Malheiros Miguel, S. 2000. Una política de cuotas por sexo: Um estudo das primeiras experiências no legislativo brasileiro. Brasília: CFEMEA.
- Osava, M. 2000. ‘Politics-Brazil: Indians Surpass Women in Elections.’ Interpress Service, October 9.
- Articulação das Mulheres Brasileiras. 2000. Políticas públicas para as mulheres no Brasil. 5 anos após Beijing. Brasília: AMB.
- Araújo, C. 1999. ‘Cidadania Incompleta – O Impacto da Lei de Cotas sobre a Representação Política das Mulheres Brasileira’, unpublished, Rio de Janeiro: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
- Caldeira, Teresa P. R. 1998. ‘Justice and Individual Rights: Challenges for Women's Movements and Democratization in Brazil’. Jaquette, Jane and Wolchik, Sharon (eds.) Women and Democracy. Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Htun, M. N. 1998. Women's Political Participation, Representation and Leadership in Latin America. Issue Brief, Women's Leadership Conference of the Americas.
- Araújo, C. 1998. Mulheres e representacao politica: a experiencia das cotas no Brasil (Women and political representation: the quotas experiment in Brazil). Estudios feministas 6, no. 1. pp. 71-90.
- Osava, M. 1998. ‘Brazil: Number of Female Candidates Increases, But Not Enough.’ Interpress Service, August 27.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1997a. Men and Women in Politics: Democracy Still in the Making, A World Comparative Study. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- Brazil Parliament website, http://www.camara.gov.br