IMPERATRIZES SEM REINADO: A PARTICIPAÇÃO FEMININA NO PODER LEGISLATIVO DE IMPERATRIZ-MA

Abstract

This study addresses the low participation of women in politics, with a specific focus on the city of Imperatriz, in Maranhão. Historically, the spheres of political representation, such as the Chamber of Deputies and the various City Councils spread throughout the country, are predominantly occupied by men. In Brazil, women occupy only 17.74% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 18.52% in the Senate. In Maranhão, the Legislative Assembly has 26.19% of female deputies, a proportion that, although the highest in 188 years, is still insufficient to achieve the much-desired gender equality. In Imperatriz, the political scenario is striking: although women represent more than half of the population and the electorate, they occupy only 9.5% of the seats in the City Council. The main objective of the study is to analyze the representation of women in the Municipal Chamber of Imperatriz from the 17th and 18th legislatures (2013-2020), a time frame that is justified by representing a post-electoral reform period of 2009, which made filling out candidacies mandatory, which was previously optional, identifying situations of inequality in the municipal legislative power. To this end, specific objectives were defined: to identify the composition of the Chamber with a focus on female presence, to analyze the legislative production of councilwomen and to understand the difficulties of female participation in the local political scenario. The methodology used is qualitative and exploratory, focused on the analysis of the councilwomen elected in the period studied. In addition, it was supported by the literature of Mary Ferreira (2007, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021), Ana Alice Costa (1998), Lúcia Avelar (2011), among other important theoretical references. The research includes consultations of data made available by the Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE) and the Disclosure of Candidates and Electoral Accounts portal, in addition to visits to the archives of the Imperatriz City Council to collect data on the legislative production of councilwomen Maura Barroso, Irmã Telma, Terezinha Soares, Fátima Avelino and Caetana Frazão, elected in the period mentioned. The study reveals that female underrepresentation is a persistent problem in Brazilian and Maranhão politics. Despite legislative advances, such as the enactment of Law 9.504/1997 and other affirmative policies, women's participation in politics is still below expectations. It was found that female councilwomen face several challenges, including lack of resources, gender inequality and lack of party support that limit their access to and influence in spaces of power and decision-making.