Taking stock of the 1996, 1998 and 2000 election campaigns, this article analyzes the impact of quota policies on electoral outcomes, coming to the conclusion that this initiative has had limited effectiveness in promoting women's access to the Brazilian legislature. From there, I seek to identify some of the factors that could explain this process, as linked to the context and to the political and electoral system. At the same time, I develop some critical considerations regarding the evaluation of these outcomes as the results of male resistance within parties, conceived of in a generic sense. Lastly, I discuss the importance of multi-causal analysis for the understanding of women's political participation
