Women took to the streets, on Sunday (7), to demand an end to what threatens us in public spaces and where it hurts most: in the private circle of family and intimate relationships.
As important as denouncing gender-based violence is registering the growing rejection of behavior that once seemed to be part of the natural order of things. After all, in the 1960s, the renowned playwright Nelson Rodrigues might have thought he was humorous with his famous phrase “women really like to be beaten”.
It is no coincidence that, today, Rodrigues’ joke seems rude and that the fight against gender-based violence has a guaranteed place on the political agenda.
Since the mid-1970s, feminist movements have given the issue a new framework in public debate, including it in the list of people’s rights. Not only did they change what was acceptable to say, they also influenced legislation — the Maria da Penha and the laws — and public policies, which created women’s police stations and reception services for victims of abuse.
Furthermore, in the last quarter of the century the country has been undergoing a major transformation that is altering the place and role of women in Brazilian society.
More than men, they took advantage of the opportunities offered by the educational policies of the FHC, Dilma and Lula governments, which aimed to increase schooling. Today, on average, Brazilian women over 25 years of age have more years of study and are more likely to have attended secondary and higher education than their male contemporaries. In the 2023-24 biennium, they represented 51% of students enrolled in secondary education and 59% in higher education. With diplomas in hand, they have climbed positions in private companies and the public sector, even in occupations considered male strongholds, such as the police and the Judiciary. In other words, thanks to greater education, women have been assuming leadership positions, thus redesigning the profile of Brazilian elites.
Advances in education also seem to be associated with changes in political behavior. Studying the presidential elections from 2002 to 2022, political scientist Jairo Nicolau, from Fundação Getulio Vargas, shows, in a book to be released soon, that, in addition to being the majority of voters —and also among those with higher education—, they show up more than men at voting stations and, since 2018, they have distinguished themselves by giving more support to center-left candidates. In 2022, they voted overwhelmingly for Lula, being responsible for his victory.
But be careful: neither your preference for the center-left candidate nor the increase in social protagonism means that women share the typically left-wing agenda of values.
In the thought-provoking book “”, another FGV political scientist, Felipe Nunes, shows that family and religion constitute the anchor of —conservative— values for the vast majority of Brazilians. If there is agreement that women should work, have financial autonomy and be protected from violence, there is also adherence to traditional values. A political puzzle challenging progressives.
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