Out of every 10 Brazilians, 4 cannot name a woman who is in a position of power. And the problem is not the definition of power — 96% of those interviewed, when asked, can describe what it means to command.
The data comes from the research “”, carried out by Estúdio Clarice, an intelligence and creation organization focused on investigating and promoting female power through research and audiovisual productions.
2,036 men and women were interviewed in November 2025. When asked if they knew someone in power, 10.1% cited the first lady, 6.1% the minister Carmem Lúcia, and 4.8% the former first lady.
When it comes to equality, 68% of men say they believe there are the same opportunities, regardless of gender. Only 53% of women responded the same. And 34% of men and 21% of women think that women’s place is already recognized.
The research also showed that one of the barriers women face is a lack of confidence. Almost 30% of them say that what most causes them to feel helpless is doubting their own ability.
According to the survey, 1 in 3 women say that it is necessary to change their tone of voice to be taken seriously and hide their personality to fit into an environment.
When it comes to behavior, there is a racial aspect: 28% of white respondents said they covered parts of their body to avoid being judged; among black women, the number rises to 39%.
The research was launched this Monday (27), at an event in Rio de Janeiro, with the participation of Mariana Ribeiro and Beatriz Della Costa Pedreira, founders of Clarice.
According to Beatriz, the difficulty of nominating women in prominent positions indicates not only a problem of representation, but also of social recognition of what, in fact, power is.
“In the end, we discover that being in power is not necessarily having power. Clarice was born from the question: what is the imaginary of power of Brazilian women?”, says Beatriz.
Beatriz also says that the women who currently occupy these spaces are looking for more than formal positions. “We are not talking about titles, but about transformation. What we want are more women in power, with power, transforming power”, she says.
The data was collected by Estúdio Clarice from quantitative and qualitative research. This second part included interviews with women whom the studio called experts (researchers, intellectuals and professionals who study power, imagination and gender) and protagonists (women who occupy positions of decision-making and influence). The latter were selected from 11 strategic sectors of society, such as sport, climate, finance, communication, culture, among others.
A Sheet will publish over the next few weeks the profiles of 8 of the 57 protagonists interviewed in the qualitative part of the research. Among them are the filmmaker, the environmental activist and the fashion designer and businesswoman.
The co-founder of Estúdio Clarice Mariana Ribeiro states that the initiative also seeks to act in the symbolic field, by disputing narratives about female power.
“It’s no use just remedying what already exists with public policies or affirmative actions, which are important, but we need to act on the culture, on the way society thinks. When we only treat violence, we are often dealing more with the symptom than the cause”, he says.
According to her, the group’s proposal is to influence cultural production, such as films, soap operas and podcasts, to expand references to female leadership. “It’s slower work, but it works on mental models, social norms and beliefs”, he says.
For the immortal of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and writer, who participated in the research as an expert and was at the launch event, the debate on female power is directly linked to the expansion of rights and freedoms.
“I’m seeing here, today, a life being lived, which back then was considered crazy: a bunch of hysterical women. We’re not just defending a cause, we’re defending our lives, our freedom, the right to choose, for everyone to be who they want to be”, he states.
