Patricia Zanella, a 2021 Hurford Youth Fellow from Brazil, is a women’s rights advocate who has worked to promote reproductive justice and social justice in Latin America. At the age of 22, Patricia ran for congress in Brazil and experienced firsthand the barriers that women face in running for and holding positions of leadership. As a Hurford Fellow, Patricia further explored the types of barriers women face in participating in politics including misogyny, harassment, psychological violence, and traditionalism within political parties. She then gathered experiences and strategies of women around the world who were able to overcome these barriers and win elections through grassroots networking and prior experience in activist movements. In her paper, “Reflections on Young Women Running for Office,” Patricia summaries her research and sheds light on both the social and systemic barriers women face in political participation, as well as concrete tactics young women can utilize in their own political campaigns.

Read Patricia’s paper here.