Brazilian political parties’ women’s sections: an analysis of websites

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of women’s sections in Brazilian political parties, considering the statutes and websites of political parties represented in the Brazilian House of Representatives in the 54th legislature (2011-2015) in order to understand the ways in which the bodies of women appear in two important arenas in the construction of the parties, namely, their statutory guidelines and their official public presentation on the internet. The set of analyses carried out indicates that women's sections have limited performance, which points to their predominantly rhetorical character. Although focused on the specific analysis of party structures, the research carried out can contribute to elucidating broader issues related to fundamental party activities, such as the recruitment of militants and leaders and political mobilization.