In her column for Crusoé, Anne Dias discusses the concern about female representation in political positions. She emphasizes that Brazilian politics needs women contributing ideas and developing strategies with their parties to effectively integrate into the system.
You are sick. You are prescribed a medication. It has no effect. You remain sick. Then you are prescribed the same medication again. Would you take it? This is what traditional politics keeps trying to do to get more women into political positions.
With municipal elections approaching, the concern for female representation in politics is once again gaining prominence. Recently, W.Lab, a collaboration between the Locomotiva and Ideia institutes, released a study highlighting gender disparity in the job market. This week, during a live discussion about women’s participation in politics with the study’s authors, the debate resurfaced around a proposal by former senator Simone Tebet, suggesting a 30% quota for women in party structures. The logic is the same as the quotas required for electoral lists discussed in a previous article.
We’ve seen this movie before. That’s why I ask again: is this the best solution to bring more women into decision-making spaces? This is yet another top-down action attempting to solve an extremely complex problem with what seems like a simple measure. Almost simplistic. It is obvious that we need women in politics. That is not in question. But would another quota, now within party structures, guarantee them decision-making power and influence? I believe this needs to be done in a genuine way, not just as a decorative measure.