ORBIT - Online Repository of Birkbeck Institutional Theses Enabling Open Access to Birkbecks Research Degree output Gender policy in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies: in- stitutional contexts and the forces affecting processes and outcomes http://bbktheses.da.ulcc.ac.uk/197/ Version: Full Version Citation: Ribas, Maria Fernanda Barreto (2016) Gender policy in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies: institutional contexts and the forces affecting processes and outcomes. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London. c 2016 The Author(s) All material available through ORBIT is protected by intellectual property law, including copyright law. Any use made of the contents should comply with the relevant law. Deposit guide Contact: email Gender policy in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies: institutional contexts and the forces affecting processes and outcomes Maria Fernanda Barreto Ribas A thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Politics Birkbeck, University of London, UK September 2015 Declaration of Work I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the PhD degree of the University of London is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 99,456 words1. 1 41,226 of those are the ‘Notes on the Content of Enacted Bills Analysed’, which I was advise to include in the final word count. 2 Abstract The research examines the forces that affect the deliberation and passage of gender- related policy in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies. It analyses the formal and informal institutions that organise the legislative environment and influence gender policy processes and outcomes. I developed an original database that traces all 1,561 gender-related bills deliberated in the lower house for the past 20 years, through each stage of the legislative process. I make a comparison between three different governments and present a detailed examination of bill content through both quantitative and qualitative analyses and interviews with members of the women’s caucus. The thesis is divided into three parts. First, the historical background, description of the case study and mapping of the formal and informal networks, connections and rules that affect gender policy. Second, the collection and analysis of evidence in each government using five variables: legislative agenda control; the executive; the women’s caucus and women’s movements; international agreements; and religiously-based opposition. And third, a comparison between the three governments and the trends seen in terms of the different themes deliberated. The research shows that there was a clear increase in gender bills presented and enacted over time as a result of changes in the institutional context, in particular the election of the Workers’ Party (PT) and the establishment of a Women’s Policy Agency. Although action by women’s organisations during all stages of the legislative process was a fundamental condition for positive outcomes, on its own it would not have been sufficient to accomplish change. The ability of the women’s caucus and women’s movements to reach their goals varied depending on the institutional context. Influential forces such as party elites and the elected executive played a key role. 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the Politics Department at Birkbeck, University of London and especially my supervisors Joni Lovenduski and Rosie Campbell. I am grateful for their academic mentorship and for their time, invaluable comments, and insights generously shared with me. I would also like to thank my external supervisor Fiona Macaulay for sharing her knowledge of gender politics in Brazil that greatly helped me and was an essential part of this thesis. Moreover, both external examiners - Timothy Power from the University of Oxford and Fiona Mackay from the University of Edinburgh - contributed a vital component to the final product. I am thankful to the staff of the Centro Feminista de Estudos e Assessoria – Cfemea in Brasília, the Politics Department at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and professor Marlise Matos for their helpfulness in sharing contacts, information, and networks. Furthermore, the members of the women’s caucus of the 54th Legislature of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies and their generosity with their time were of crucial importance in supplementing my findings with critical insights. I would also like to thank Mike Crean for proofreading the final version of the thesis. Finally, the research would not have been possible without Marc Crean’s help with proofreading, formatting, editing, and with much needed encouragement and support throughout the last four years. 4 Table of contents ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION AND THESIS RATIONALE ....................................................................................................... 12 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 13 RESEARCH GOALS ..................................................................................................................................................... 14 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................. 14 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER OUTLINE .................................................................................................................................................. 20 DEFINITION OF KEY CONCEPTS ............................................................................................................................. 22 HYPOTHESIS .............................................................................................................................................................. 26 CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND OF THE BRAZILIAN CASE .................................................................................. 28 THE 1980S - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENTS AND THE WORKERS’ PARTY28 THE 1990S - FERNANDO HENRIQUE CARDOSO’S GOVERNMENT .................................................................... 32 THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT IN THE 1990S .............................................. 35 THE EARLY 2000S AND THE WORKERS’ PARTY TRANSITION TO POWER .................................................... 37 LULA’S GOVERNMENT (2003-2010) AND ITS EFFECTS ON GENDER EQUALITY ......................................... 40 DILMA ROUSSEFF’S FIRST TERM IN GOVERNMENT............................................................................................ 45 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................................. 51 CHAPTER 2 THEORIES AND METHODS ............................................................................................................. 54 METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................................................................................... 54 FIRST VARIABLE: LEGISLATIVE AGENDA CONTROL ........................................................................................... 57 The committee system ........................................................................................................................................... 60 Urgent procedures................................................................................................................................................... 63 SECOND VARIABLE: THE EXECUTIVE .................................................................................................................... 66 Executive control of the legislative agenda ................................................................................................. 67 5 Women’s Policy Agencies ..................................................................................................................................... 70 THIRD VARIABLE: THE WOMEN’S CAUCUS AND WOMEN’S MOVEMENTS ...................................................... 72 FOURTH VARIABLE: INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS .................................................................................... 77 FIFTH VARIABLE: RELIGIOUSLY-BASED OPPOSITION IN CONGRESS ................................................................ 82 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................................................. 85 CHAPTER 3 FERNANDO HENRIQUE CARDOSO’S TWO TERMS IN GOVERNMENT .............................. 88 FIRST VARIABLE: LEGISLATIVE AGENDA CONTROL ..........................................................................................