Female Participation in Political Life in Portugal and Europe

Female participation in political life in Portugal has historically been under-represented compared to male representation, as has happened across Europe. In order to deal with this under-representation, the approval of the Parity Law in 2006 (Organic Law No. 3/2006, of 21 August) introduced a novelty with regard to the collegiate bodies representing political power, determining that the lists for the elections of the Assembly of the Republic, European Parliament and local authorities were composed in such a way as to ensure a minimum representation of 33% of each sex, being a turning point in the trend of under-representation. This Informative Sheet aims to present the historical and legal evolution, accompanied by statistical data, on female political participation in Portugal. For its elaboration, data found in the file were systematized. These data are complemented with statistical data on women's political participation in Europe (parliaments and governments) for comparison purposes.

Read the full analysis: https://ficheiros.parlamento.pt/DILP/Publicacoes/folhas/33.ParticipacaoFeminina/33.pdf