The number of women in the Brazilian lower house and the Senate will be the highest in history. In the former, the number of women elected rose from 90 to 109, a surge of 21 percent.

This outcome occurred despite a decline in the number of female candidates. In 2022, 3,317 women ran for the office of federal representative. In 2026, they numbered 2,820, down 24 percent.

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For the Senate, Brazilians elected twelve women to the 54 seats up for grabs – the highest since the military dictatorship ended, in 1985. In 2018, when two-thirds of the Senate were also up for election, eight women were elected.

Brazil has 81 senators in each legislative session. Each serves an eight-year term. Every four years, one-third or two-thirds of the Senate is renewed. As a result, the number of female senators will increase from the current fifteen to eighteen next year.

Far from equality

Despite the change, women remain a minority in both houses of Congress. In the lower house, women will account for 21 percent of the 513 representatives in the next legislative session. The coalition comprising the Workers’ Party (PT), the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), and the Green Party (PV) elected the largest share of women – 34 out of the 109 elected.

As for the Senate, the number of female senators starting next year will reach 22.2 percent of the 81 seats. Those elected this year will take office in February, with terms running through 2035.

The Federal District elected two women. Since it already has one representative, the Federal District is now the only unit of the federation with three female senators.

Agendas for women

The increase in the number of elected female lawmakers does not necessarily translate into policies focused on women, says Flávia Biroli, a professor of political science at the University of Brasília.

In her view, as the number of women in elected office increases, so does the diversity of their views, and some will advocate for patriarchal, rather than egalitarian, perspectives.

“You can have elected women representing economic views that are harmful to the vast majority of women. For example, you can have an elected woman – as is the case with Senator Bia Kicis – who voted against the law on equal pay for women and men.”

Black women

The number of black women elected has also risen, at least in the lower house of Congress. A survey conducted by the organization Mulheres Negras Decidem found that 15 black women were elected to federal Congress in 2026 – a 66.6 percent increase from 2022, when nine were elected.

The organization’s political coordinator, Tainah Pereira, celebrates this progress.

“It’s also interesting to note that the vast majority of these black women who are currently in the lower house and who were elected for the next legislative session are young women. So, we’re seeing a renewal of black women in leadership, and I think we can have high expectations for the work of these leaders who have now made it to office.”

The Senate, however, saw a setback. No black female candidate was elected. Benedita da Silva (PT), the first black woman to hold a seat in the Senate in 1998, lost her reelection bid in Rio de Janeiro. To date, only four black women have served as senators.

Nataly Saldanha earned the title of “top-notch pregnant woman” at the health clinic where she receives prenatal care in Rio de Janeiro. At 39 weeks pregnant, she is expecting Noely to arrive in the coming days and is proud to have attended all her appointments and undergone all the recommended tests, followed her health care providers’ guidance closely, and kept her vaccinations up to date.

“I’ve always made a point of getting vaccinated, and when I started prenatal care, I made sure my vaccination record was up to date. If there’s any disease going around, I’m immune. I’m also very concerned about my baby. I want to make sure she’s 100 percent healthy,” she explains.

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This is also the view of marketing analyst Raissa Silva de Oliveira, who is 34 weeks pregnant and expecting her baby, Rafael.

“I’ve always gotten every single vaccine because I believe in science. From the start of my prenatal care, my doctor asked about my vaccination status, wanted to see my record, and advised me on the next vaccines I needed to get,” she says.

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Unfortunately, not all pregnant women reach delivery as well-protected as Saldanha and Oliveira. Official figures from Brazil’s Ministry of Health reveal disparities in vaccination coverage, along with some concerning figures.

In 2025, only 55 percent of pregnant women were vaccinated against COVID-19, and 63 percent against the flu, based on data from the Southeast, South, Northeast, and Midwest regions. Preliminary data from this year show a slightly better situation for the flu vaccine, with 76 percent coverage, but COVID-19 vaccination remains at 55 percent. The goal for both vaccines is 90 percent coverage of the target population.

The consequences of vaccine hesitancy have been tragic in many cases. Data compiled by the Ministry of Health at the request of Agência Brasil indicate that, from 2023 through early August 2026, at least 286 pregnant women or women who had recently given birth developed severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) after being infected with a subtype of the influenza virus. Of these, 25 died, including seven this year.

Over the same period, COVID-19 caused at least 205 severe cases, resulting in 21 deaths. However, during the three main years of the pandemic - 2020, 2021, and 2022 - there were 3,547 cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) confirmed to have been caused by the virus among pregnant women or women who had recently given birth. Nearly a quarter of these women died, totaling 811 deaths.

For Flávia Bravo, director of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm), two factors are key to understanding these figures: complacency in the case of influenza and misinformation when it comes to COVID-19.

“When it comes to the flu, people still wonder, ‘Is this vaccine really that important?’ There’s a tendency to downplay the disease. As for COVID-19, the myth has prevailed that it is an experimental vaccine, rushed into production - which is a lie. It’s an established technology, and we were able to adapt it more quickly for COVID-19 because of global collaboration and significant investment,” she notes.

Vaccination has been instrumental in reducing these rates to their current levels. Brazilian scientists compared records of SARS among pregnant and postpartum women before and after vaccination was introduced for this population and found that the monthly case rate fell to one-third of its previous level. The mortality rate dropped to nearly one-fifth of its previous level.

Even so, COVID-19 and influenza together account for nearly 30 percent of SARS cases among pregnant and postpartum women recorded this year in Brazil. When deaths are analyzed, this proportion rises to more than 50 percent.

Respiratory viruses are the main causes of the syndrome, but it is not always possible to identify which virus caused the condition, meaning these proportions may be even higher. “Pregnant women are among the groups at highest risk for these two diseases, so much so that these two vaccines can be administered at any stage of pregnancy,” Bravo emphasizes.

Vaccination schedule for pregnant women

The Ministry of Health offers four additional vaccines for pregnant women through Brazil’s national public health system, the SUS, in addition to the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines: hepatitis B, dT, dTpa, and VSR. The yellow fever vaccine may also be recommended on an exceptional basis for pregnant women who live in areas with confirmed circulation of the disease during an outbreak, emergency, or high-risk situation, or who are planning to travel to such locations.

Gynecologist Giuliane Lajos advises that all these vaccines should be part of the basic checklist for pregnant women, rather than being viewed as an option or an extra precaution. “I even make a joke: ‘fewer pregnancy tests and more vaccinations.’ Because, whether it’s a girl or a boy, what you really want is a healthy baby and to be healthy enough to care for them.”

The specialist from the National Vaccine Expert Committee of the Brazilian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Associations (Febrasgo) explains that pregnant women need to take extra precautions against various infections because pregnancy naturally makes them more vulnerable to infections and severe illness.

“When you become pregnant, half of the baby’s genetic makeup comes from you and the other half from your partner. In order for the uterus to accept this ‘implant,’ several changes occur in a woman’s immune system. In addition, as the pregnancy progresses, lung capacity decreases and some bodily functions decline. That is why it is so important to ensure you have all available vaccinations. If she is vaccinated, a woman may still get an infection sometimes, but it won’t be severe,” Lajos adds.

The gynecologist warns that, without protection, pregnant women are more likely to experience a range of complications and may even die. “Being admitted to the ICU alone significantly increases levels of substances called prostaglandins, which can damage the placenta, affect the baby’s development, and increase the risk of preterm birth.”

An analysis of data from more than 1.2 million pregnant women worldwide showed that women vaccinated against COVID-19, for example, had a lower risk of preterm birth, stillbirth, and fetal congenital anomalies.

Benefits for babies

In addition, by getting vaccinated, a pregnant woman also protects her baby after birth. Vaccination against influenza and COVID-19 does not begin until 6 months of age. Therefore, newborns rely on antibodies passed from their mother through the placenta to help protect them against these diseases.

“Published clinical trials show that the flu vaccine, for example, can reduce the incidence of illness by about 70 percent during a baby’s first few months. It’s the same with COVID-19. There are studies showing that the level of antibodies in the umbilical cord is higher than in the mother’s blood. In other words, in addition to active transfer, the baby is actually born with more antibodies,” Bravo explains.

The lack of immunization among infants is also a concern. The Ministry of Health’s Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System recorded nearly 4,000 cases of SARS caused by influenza among children under 2 years of age through September 19 this year, including 55 deaths.

Meanwhile, there have been 808 severe cases of COVID-19 in this age group, with 18 deaths. Since 2023 - the year the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the pandemic - at least 9,725 children under 2 years of age have become severely ill with COVID-19, 223 of whom have died.

The mRNA vaccines currently administered to pregnant women and children in Brazil have already demonstrated nearly 100 percent efficacy in preventing deaths from COVID-19. Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of death by up to 75 percent.

According to Giuliane Lajos and Flávia Bravo, vaccinating pregnant women, combined with vaccinating children themselves starting at 6 months of age, is essential to reducing these numbers. The trend in respiratory syncytial virus cases provides an example of the potential impact of high vaccination coverage.

Launched last year, the vaccination program has already reached 1.7 million pregnant women, representing an estimated 86 percent coverage of the target population. Combined with the administration of monoclonal antibodies to premature infants and those with comorbidities, the program is already yielding results.

In the first half of 2026, 6,674 severe cases were reported among infants up to 6 months of age - less than half the 14,061 infections reported during the same period last year.

Pertussis

Brazil’s vaccination history offers other examples of the power of this indirect protection. The administration of the dT vaccine to women, including pregnant women, since the 1960s helped Brazil eliminate neonatal tetanus, a condition in which the infection is acquired by the infant during childbirth and can lead to severe, potentially fatal illness. Diphtheria has also been virtually eliminated in the country, with fewer than 40 confirmed cases reported over the past 10 years.

However, in response to outbreaks of whooping cough among newborns, the SUS began offering the dTpa vaccine to pregnant women in 2014, providing protection against the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, which causes coughing and fever and can lead to breathing difficulties.

The infant vaccination schedule includes vaccination against whooping cough, but the first dose is administered at 2 months of age, and the primary series is not completed until 6 months of age. This means newborns rely on maternal antibodies for protection against the disease and to reduce the risk of severe illness if they become infected.

According to the Ministry of Health, dTpa vaccination coverage among pregnant women rose from 34 percent in 2016 to 94 percent in 2025. Preliminary data for this year indicate a coverage rate of 88 percent. In addition, vaccination rates among infants have remained close to 90 percent since 2023.

As a result, the number of pertussis cases in Brazil has been declining, but cases remain significant, underscoring the importance of protecting infants in particular. In 2024, there were 7,747 confirmed cases, falling to 2,744 in 2025 and 401 as of September 10 this year.

About 20 percent of those infected during this period were under 1 year old, but this proportion rises to more than 90 percent when deaths from the disease are considered. Of the 11 deaths recorded in 2026, nine were infants under 1 year old, eight of whom were under 6 months of age.

Health care professionals

The two experts interviewed by Agência Brasil also emphasize that all vaccines administered during pregnancy have been properly tested and pose no risk to pregnant women or their babies. “The COVID-19 vaccine, which faces the most resistance, has become the most studied vaccine in the world. And there is no proven risk of fetal malformations, autism, or death - nothing,” emphasizes gynecologist Giuliane Lajos.

Flávia Bravo, director of SBIm, urges health care professionals to be more emphatic in debunking these falsehoods and providing patients with accurate guidance.

“Vaccination, in fact, isn’t a topic most doctors are very familiar with. Many of them end up relying on the same sources as the general public and don’t do what they Should - which is to seek out reliable sources of information, review clinical trials, and examine surveillance data,” she adds.

Family physician Catarina Jatobá de Souza, who treats Nataly Saldanha at the Ricardo Lucarelli Family Clinic in Rio de Janeiro, explains that the vaccination card is checked during the very first appointment and that, whenever a dose is needed, the pregnant woman is immediately directed to the vaccination room next door.

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“This is very convenient because the pregnant woman can take advantage of her appointment to do both things, and we know that if the vaccination is scheduled for another day, it might fall through. That’s why we also try to schedule appointments for the day the pregnant woman is due to get vaccinated,” she explains.

Other professionals are also involved in ensuring that pregnant women keep their vaccination cards up to date. “Community health workers make monthly home visits during pregnancy, and they also remind patients to bring their vaccination cards to their appointments and let us know if any pregnant woman is not up to date on her vaccinations,” the doctor explains.

Raissa Silva de Oliveira, who also receives prenatal care through the public health system but at a different facility, almost got a scolding from her health worker. “They called me from the clinic to remind me about the RSV vaccination because I hadn’t gone there to get it, but I had gotten it at the vaccination center in the mall. The woman didn’t just take my word for it; she asked me to send a photo of my vaccination card so she could verify it.”

Even social gatherings, such as meetings for expectant mothers and parents, and recreational activities such as belly-painting events have become opportunities to raise awareness. “We take the opportunity to talk about the importance of vaccines with the whole family,” Catarina Jatobá adds.

The doctor argues that these spaces are also important for pregnant women to talk to other women who have already received the vaccines and are doing well. “I always say that I’ve never seen a single serious case caused by a vaccine, unlike the diseases themselves. But this way, they can see for themselves that there’s no risk,” she emphasizes.

Nataly Saldanha, a model pregnant patient, is an example of how this approach can make a difference. “When I had my first daughter, I didn’t have access to any of this. It’s great to be able to talk to other mothers. There are so many new things today, including new vaccines, such as those for COVID-19 and bronchiolitis. I’m rediscovering it all over again.”

The Superior Electoral Court found that the number of cases involving gender-based political violence has increased more than 11-fold in four years. In 2022, 15 cases were brought before the Electoral Court. As of September 2026, cases have reached 177.

Since 2018, the federal prosecutors have recorded 436 complaints of gender-based political violence. In more than half of the cases (221), this violence was of a moral nature. And in 40 percent of them (177), psychological violence was involved.

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Political violence against women can take many forms, ranging from intimidation and attacks on a woman’s honor to threats and murders. Cases such as that of Rio Councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was murdered in 2018 for reasons linked to her political activities, and the attacks suffered by Congresswoman Maria do Rosário in Congress in 2014, highlight the extent to which this type of violence can escalate.

Awareness

In an effort to combat this type of violence, the Superior Electoral Court and the Federal Prosecution Service on Tuesday (Sep. 22) launched a campaign dubbed Política é Substantivo Feminino (“Politics is a feminine noun,” in reference to the fact that the word “politics” follows the feminine gender in Portuguese grammar). The initiative aims to raise awareness among the public about the role of combating the various forms of political violence perpetrated against women.

Court Judge Estela Aranha explained the impact of this type of violence on Brazilian democracy.

“It [gender-based political violence] silences women individually. A woman thinks, ‘I’m going to leave politics,’ but it also affects the community as a whole, because other women who witness the violence think, ‘Why should I get into politics?’ You drive out those who are already involved as well as those who are thinking of getting involved. And this is serious, because democracy presupposes the political and electoral participation of all citizens – men and women alike – and women are being excluded from the debate,” she argued.

Gender and race

During the campaign launch, women’s rights and black rights organizations presented court head Judge Minister Nunes Marques with a letter expressing concern over the rise in political violence based on gender and race in this year’s elections and demanding effective measures to prevent further incidents.

The document states that, in recent weeks, social movements have received reports in various states from female candidates – especially black, lesbian, bisexual, and trans women – who have been threatened with death and sexual violence, had their addresses and family members’ information exposed, and suffered racist and LGBT-phobic attacks, persecution, intimidation, and physical assaults.

The text also emphasizes that gender-based violence does not affect all women in the same way. A study by the Marielle Franco Institute analyzed 77 cases from 2021 to 2025. Among the victims, 87 percent were black.

Women in elected office

Brazil is one of the countries with the lowest representation of women in Parliament. In a ranking of 184 countries, Brazil ranks 135th, with only 17.5 percent of women in Congress, trailing behind nations with less democratic regimes, such as North Korea and Burkina Faso.

At the local level, Brazil has over 700 municipalities with not a single woman in elected office, and only 16 percent of city governments are led by women.

Raquel Branquinho, coordinator of the working group on preventing and combating gender-based political violence at the Office of the Prosecutor-General for Electoral Affairs, says that Brazilian legislation is in line with international guidelines on women’s representation.

“The major problem to be addressed, however, is violence against these women,” she said.