Black women make up just 1% of mayoral candidates in Brazil, study shows
A mapping exercise carried out by Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Rio de Janeiro Law School in relation to candidates for Brazil’s upcoming mayoral elections, based on data submitted to the Superior Electoral Court, found that female candidates tend to have more formal education than male ones and that political parties are still lacking in terms of diversity. Black and mixed-race people accounted for 4.4% and 32.8% of mayoral candidates registered with the Superior Electoral Court, respectively, while black and mixed-race women made up only 1% and 4.7% of candidates.
Less than a fifth of this year’s mayoral candidates registered with the Superior Electoral Court are women. Breaking down the figures by region, we can see that the Northeast has relatively more female candidates, 18.5%, while the South region has the lowest proportion, 12.6%.
Female candidates better educated than male ones
On average, female candidates have undergone more formal education than male ones. In all, 79.5% of women running for mayor have a university degree, compared to 55.3% of men. In absolute numbers, the Northeast region accounts for the most female candidates with a university degree (36%), followed by the Southeast region (28.4%).
Left-wing parties have the most black and indigenous candidates for mayor and deputy mayor, as well as the highest number of black and mixed-race candidates.
The report shows that guaranteeing diversity among candidates is still a major challenge for political and party institutions in Brazil. The results indicate that gender and racial inequalities in Brazilian society are reflected in the municipal elections, especially in relation to the presence of women, black people and indigenous people running for mayor and deputy mayor.
To read the full study, click here.
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