Women still struggle to be elected in Brazil

In October, Brazil’s 147 million voters go to the polls to elect mayors and city councilors for the next four years. And while 52 percent of citizens in the country are women, ballots will be overwhelmingly dominated by male candidates. 

A new study shows that women’s struggles to get elected to public office start long before the campaigns—the roadblocks start within their own parties, regardless of where they lie on the political spectrum.

“Women become ‘extras’ in their parties because they don’t get enough resources to finance their campaigns,” journalist Karolina Bergamo told The Brazilian Report. She is a member of the Vote Nelas, a collective aiming to make women candidacies more competitive. “There are issues they face just for being women, such as harassment or not being taken seriously.”

Ms. Bergamo helped put together the “Candidates’ Journey” report, which interviewed 34 women from all over the country who ran for public office in 2016 and 2018—ten of whom were elected—in an effort to help candidates in the 2020 election avoid the same pitfalls.

The survey shed light on old sexist beliefs in Brazil, such as that women “don’t like” or “don’t want to get involved” in politics. It showed that personal factors, such as taking part in student organizations, being volunteers or working in the...