Female representation in the Portuguese ministerial elite remains "residual" over the last five decades, according to the analyzed data. Women need to gather more technical skills and qualifications than men to reach Government, revealing a persistent inequality in access to positions of power.
Only in 2019 was the first parity government achieved in Portugal, a historic milestone that, however, did not resolve the underlying problem. Despite this achievement, women who manage to join the "hard core" of executive power, where the most relevant decisions for the country are made, remain few.
Portuguese female ministers continue to stand out mostly in social areas, such as health, education, and social affairs, perpetuating a sectoral segregation that limits their presence in government departments with greater political and economic weight.
