Mato Grosso Legislative Assembly sees new female elected officials

The history of female political participation in the Legislative Assembly of Mato Grosso (ALMT) has entered a new phase following recent elections. Samantha do Abilio (PL) and Alessandra Ferreira (Podemos) were elected to occupy two of the 24 seats in the House starting in 2027.

This milestone follows a trajectory that began nearly seven decades ago with the election of Oliva Enciso in 1958. Enciso was the first woman elected as a state deputy in Mato Grosso, occurring 26 years after women gained the right to vote in Brazil.

Historians and academics note that while women began gaining social and political influence in the 1920s and 1930s through education and social activism, institutional access remained difficult. Experts from the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) attribute the historically low representation of women to patriarchal political structures and traditional social organizations in the region.