Women still play a secondary role in Brazilian politics, but this
is changing. Marta Matarazzo Suplicy is the second woman to run the
city of São Paulo, the largest in Brazil, and this has confirmed
her status as national, rather than a city politician. Both she and
Luiza Erundina, the former mayor of São Paulo, were elected on the
Workers Party ticket and set themselves apart from their male
predecessors with their unusual efficiency and honesty.
Benedita da Silva, also of the Workers Party, took over as the new
governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro after the incumbent Anthony
Garotinho quit to run for president. The achievement of Da Silva, a
former Senator, is all the greater since she is both black and from
a poor background.
Roseana Sarney is different. She comes from a political family that
dominates her home state of Maranhão. Her father, José Sarney, was
president from 1985 to 1990 and her brother, José Sarney Filho, is
Cardoso’s environment minister. She is a member of the conservative
PFL party where women have never had much power. Brazilian voters
rate female politicians above their male peers, so being a woman
would probably help rather than hinder Roseana’s election
prospects.
Ibope, Brazil’s leading polling agency, says people see female
politicians as more organized, more determined and more competent
than male politicians. Nearly 60% of respondents in an Ibope poll
say they are more honest than men and 72% say they are more
sensitive to social problems. People think that the only thing men
can do better than women is to lead negotiations.