On Thursday (21),  the lawyer Pedro Dallari, Ph.D. in International Law at the University of São Paulo, defended at the Chamber the discussion on the right of women to occupying positions at the Governing Board of the Parliament, in the scope of political reform. For the lawyer, the fact that Brazil has less than 9% of the positions at the Chamber occupied by women is “astonishing”, “a situation which is worse than the one in Arab countries, in which the women’s life conditions are much worse in terms of rights’ equality”, he signaled.

On Thursday, he participated in the debate at the Special Committee on the Bill on a Constitutional Amendment (PEC 590/06), which establishes the proportional representation of genders, not only in governing boards of the Chamber and of the Senate, but also in all committees, be they permanent or temporary.

According to Pedro Dallari, that amendment “is effectively a proposal on a political reform, which will be very well seen by Brazilian society”, since it introduces criteria ruling the composition of direction and operational bodies of the Brazilian Parliament. He added that women were already strongly present in business world, in academic life, as judges, journalists, in the universe of Brazilian occupations. “Why are women absent from Brazilian public life, from political life?”

Limitations
Pedro Dallari also alerted that, if the distribution criterion for female positions follows the distribution model in which it is done according to the parties, it will eventually limit female participation to only one position.

The expert in legislative procedures, Miguel Gerônimo Netto, though, thinks that that kind of risk can be overcome. “Since that subject is not completely tied up, agreements can be made and that limitation could become flexible. If there were the guarantee of a position, nothing would impeach that the minority bench related to the gender got two or three positions at the Board. That would be a political issue.”

For Deputy Luiza Erundina (PSB-SP), for that issue to be resolved, it would be simply necessary to amend the rules of order of the legislative houses, which should come together with the possible approval of the Constitutional Amendment.

The term for the presentation of parliamentary amendments to the PEC which guarantees the female participation in direction positions of the Chamber and of the Senate has already expired.

Report - Marise Lugullo
Editing - Regina Céli Assumpção
Translation - Positive Idiomas Ltda