“THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL”

THE REFLECTIONS OF THE SOCIAL GENDER HIERARCHIZATION AND THE SEXUAL DIVISION OF WORK ON THE LEADERSHIP OF THE PERMANENT COMMITTEES OF THE HOUSE OF DEPUTIES

Abstract

The article seeks to discuss the influence of gender roles and the sexual division of labor in Brazilian legislative activity and, specifically, to investigate which positions of command are assigned to women parliamentarians in the standing committees of the Chamber of Deputies. The methodology used is qualitative and quantitative, based on the analysis of data obtained through reports made available by email and on the Chamber of Deputies' website regarding the chairmanship of the House's standing committees, from the 50th legislature (1995-1999) to the 56th legislature (2019-2023), using as a basis the classification made by Miguel and Feitosa (2009), which divides the issues discussed in the Legislative Branch into soft, middle and hard politics. The results of the research show that women are mostly assigned to positions of command involving social aspects, care and assistance (soft politics) and, to a lesser extent, to leadership roles dealing with the economy, state control and foreign relations (hard politics), confirming the reflections of gender roles and the sexual division of labor in federal political activity. It was concluded that the gender roles established and naturalized in the private sphere have a direct impact on the degree to which women are represented in public spaces of power, as well as occupying positions of command in the structured political field.