Feminism, power and media representations over the initial 40 years of Portuguese Democracy

Abstract

The democratic revolution process in Portugal (1974–1976) did not result in immediate changes on gender equality. Yet, over the past four decades there were two main gender equality achievements in Portugal following parliamentary debate: the gender parity law and the legalisation of abortion. In 1975, Portuguese politics was profoundly dominated by men, who occupied the decision-making posts across all instances and sector of society. But since then, women representation in parliament jumped from 7.6% in 1976 to 40% in 2019, as a result of the gender parity law enacted in 2006. The debate about the legalisation of abortion was polarised and lengthy. It lasted between 1974 and 2007, it involved political parties, NGOs, several women’s organisations, and two referenda, the last one in 2007, which settled the issue. In this paper we assess the social and political dynamics that enabled these changes, highlighting the involvement of women. We examine the changes in media coverage on gender issues, using these two central cases for gender equality in Portugal: the gender parity law and the legalisation of abortion. We found that these were the social and political debates that most involved the participation of women. These debates revealed the condition of women in a patriarchal society, and led to their emancipation and empowerment.