Women in Congress

First of all, I apologise for the possible mistakes I may commit in the following text. English is not even my second language and sometimes it's hard to translate feelings and thoughts into words.

I grew up in Brasilia and also lived in two other capitals, one in Europe, one in North America. The environment helped to consolidate the politicized part of my personality. I have politicized friends and we share thoughts and discuss politics very often.

What is clear to everybody, either the non-politicized ones, is that politics has converted itself into nonsense. I can’t read a newspaper or watch the news on TV and feel the same at the end. I feel nauseous. The pillars of the public administration, which includes the public interest above private, are forgotten and we see corruption and politics interest outshine population welfare.

Some days ago, I visited the Brazilian Congress with an American friend. We had a tour with a considerate and well informed guide. He explained that just 10% of our Congressmen are women. Of a total of 513 representatives, we have 49 women. In the Senate, from 81 senators, just 10 are women. Maybe because we were two women, he brought this topic to the light. He said: “we’ve been living difficult days here” – he said in reference to the corruption scandals we’ve been exposed to lately. “The solution is, in my opinion, to bring more women to the Congress. Maybe you (and he pointed to me) could be one of the congressmen within some years”.

I laughed because I thought it was funny. And though I don’t have any political ambitious (what I like to do is to helping people to see how important politics is) I do believe in the solution he presented. It seemed ordinary and maybe naïve, but Brazil is immersed in political corruption, and it is fact that 143 of our voted representatives are proven to be involved in some corruption scheme. Just 3 of them are women.

In a time when constitutional principles are considered old fashioned and the population discredits politics, perhaps an ordinary idea can be the best solution. I do believe women can bring back morality to the Congress and to the country. We are strong, we have families, we have such power in our hands, we could change everything we want. Maybe it will take years until we have a half/half Congress. For now, we can start by raising our flags and dreams. And hope. One day… One day!

Ana Dutra