Social Movements and Women's Participation in Brazil
| DOI | 10.1177/019251218500600304 |
| Date | 01 July 1985 |
| Published date | 01 July 1985 |
| Author | Eva Alterman Blay |
| Subject Matter | Article |
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
AND
WOMEN’S
PARTICIPATION IN
BRAZIL
EVA ALTERMAN
BLAY
To
understand the present situation
of
Brazilian women. this article sets
out
to ex-
amine the way it has evolved in the past
20
years. The change
of
regime in
1964
led
to
an exacerbation of the economic crisis for the ordinary people
of
Brazil. This
was accompanied by a restriction of civil liberties.
Thus
deprived of formal channels
of
negotiation. women formed
a
new movement. They began
to
play a public role,
motivated by
a
desire for
a
better life
for
their children, the release
of
imprisoned
relatives, and higher wages.
In
this way, they began
to
penetrate the public realm.
It is always difficult to isolate a period in the social history of a coun-
try, since this involves taking out
of
context certain variables that are
rooted in earlier social processes. However, in order to understand the
present situation
of
Brazilian women, this article sets
out
to examine
the last
20
years, which were characterized by specific political facts.
This is the only way to understand the resistance role played
by
social
movements, especially those
led
by women; the meaning
of
the
democratization process; the recent influx of women into political par-
ties; the decision taken by feminist groups to participate in wielding
power; and, specifically, the setting up of the Women’s Council by
the state government of
SBo
Paulo.
WOMEN
AND
WORK:
DETERMINING
FACTORS
The census data consider the economically active population to
include anyone over
10
years
of
age, which means that children under
14 are workers even though this is illegal. The 90 million Brazilians
over
10
are equally distributed between the sexes: 49.2% men and
50.8% women. Of them, 48 million are workers (including the un-
employed).
International Political Science
Review,
Vol.
6
No.
3.
1985 297-305
8
1985
International Political Science
Association
297
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