Why Does Gender Matter so Much? Neoconservatism and Antifeminism in the Brazilian Case

The advance of anti-gender neoconservatism in Brazil, even while operating within a democratic context at this moment, undermines the citizenship of women in the country, as it persistently focuses on disqualifying feminisms and various struggles for the rights of the immense diversity of women in Brazil, all while defending a type of retraditionalizing Christian morality that genuinely threatens women’s human rights. Despite the transnational nature of the advances of neoconservative agendas, we are experiencing political attacks in different institutional spheres (judicial, parliamentary, among others) that threaten and constrain the daily lives of women, jeopardizing the achievements of the last decades of redemocratization, especially the fight for gender, sexuality, and racial equality. The most evident manifestation of this is the attempt to prevent the expansion of women’s human rights, as we observe an interest in restoring — with a focus on political centrality — the racist patriarchal family, traditional gender roles, and sexuality. This is an antidemocratic tendency of the neoconservative political project that is increasingly advancing within our parliamentary houses and other state powers. However, there seems to be a feminist reaction that involves placing one’s own body in the political struggle, and the immediate consequence of this kind of "daring" is the response of political violence against women. How will we navigate this impasse, which is not (and never has been) merely identity-based, but overtly a matter of democratic reaffirmation? We will examine some examples from the Brazilian case that seek these possible paths forward.