The instrumentalization of gender and religion in the 2022 Brazilian elections: The vote(s) of evangelical women

In recent years, we have seen the dispute for the evangelical vote grow in Brazilian politics. If it is true that, in Brazil, there are more people who claim to be Catholic than those who claim to be evangelical, the fact is that people who declare themselves evangelical tend to highlight their religious identity more strongly and, therefore, activating this identity is an important political strategy. The almost natural association between evangelicals and conservatism has been assumed by both the right as a quality and by the left as an accusation, and this has prevented the perception of the complexity that surrounds the religious universe and the way in which "religious" women negotiate with politics. The Brazilian evangelical contingent is made up mostly of women, and women voters. This has not been ignored by the campaigns of the different candidates for the country's executive and legislative branches. The evangelical female electorate is strategic and was the "object of desire" of all candidates in the last electoral process. This article reflects on the positions of evangelical women on issues triggered in the 2022 election campaign. It was concluded that women tend to evaluate more who to vote for, because their concerns range from food, health and safety expenses, to the fear of the "family's destruction".