Worldwide, Brazil ranks 133 out of 193 countries in terms of female representation in legislative bodies, below Jordan and just above Bhutan, Chad and Egypt.

Taking advantage of resources aimed at promoting greater female representation has fueled anger even among the P.S.L. party faithful.

“All of the embezzlement needs to be investigated, but I am particularly indignant about information that women were used,” said Janaína Paschoal, an outspoken conservative who ran on the P.S.L. ticket in São Paulo and was elected a state legislator. “Those possibly involved need to be removed from office.”

Although several parties are under investigation by prosecutors, the P.S.L. has come under particular scrutiny because Mr. Bolsonaro is the president and ran as an alternative to the corrupt parties that had been in power.

“The fact that the P.S.L. is falling back on old political tricks is not that surprising,” said Monica de Bolle, a Brazilian economist who heads the Latin American studies program at Johns Hopkins University. “But the female aspect is really important.”

For Ms. Barbosa, it all started with an unexpected call from a politician from the president’s party, who asked if she wanted to run for office.

She drove 14 hours from her home in Governador Valadares to the capital, Brasília. There she was greeted by the crème da la crème of the P.S.L., and formally invited to be a candidate by Marcelo Henrique Teixeira Dias, then the regional president of the party.