The COVID-19 pandemic has gendered implications for women's time and resources. The use of informal institutions that pose obstacles to women's electoral viability may also be particularly consequential at a time of rapid change, when election dates and procedures are being amended because of health concerns. Together, these dynamics suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may impact women's electoral participation, support, and viability in meaningful ways. The November 2020 Brazilian municipal elections provide an opportunity to explore this. Employing data from an original survey of eligible individuals and aspirant candidates, we find that the main obstacle to women's representation is not personal political ambition or efforts but women's perceptions of their access to support for their candidacies. In the face of greater challenges, resilient aspirants are choosing to work harder to compensate for potential losses in campaign support and funds.

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Women have been historically excluded from positions of power in Brazil. Since the dawn of republicanism in the late 19th century, the political system has been dominated by men, and two long periods of authoritarianism stunted both the development of a strong women’s movement and the entrance of women into formal politics. Nevertheless, women have always been involved in the political process, and women’s groups have fought for women’s rights since the dawn of the republic. Successful examples include the suffrage movement, women’s movements that helped the return to democracy in the 1980s, and small victories such as domestic violence laws and maintenance of the status quo in the abortion law and reproductive rights. The end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century marked the slow increased presence of women in elected positions. The implementation of a gender quota law in 1996 and continued pressure by women politicians, those in the state apparatus, and women’s movements brought the issue of women’s representation to the forefront of debates about democratic development in Brazil. Although women still face strong barriers to enter the electoral arena, developments in the early 21st century such as the strengthening of the quota law show that the political space is slowly opening its doors to women.

Programas de transferência de renda condicionada, como o brasileiro Bolsa Família, aPresentam, cada vez mais, características que os aProximam de Políticas social-democratas, desenhadas Para um novo contexto nacional e mundial. Alguns trabalhos, tais como de EsPing-Andersen (2002), identificam determinados Programas de transferência como uma alternativa de Política social Para a Promoção do bem-estar. O Programa, não contributivo, fortalece o Processo de transformação no Padrão de Proteção social Predominante no País até os dias de hoje. Além disso, é um dos PrinciPais resPonsáveis Pela queda da desigualdade e aumento da renda. Esses fatores, bem como a sua sustentação Política na esfera eleitoral, evidenciam a existência de uma agenda de Política social PróPria da centro-esquerda.

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