Brazilian Feminism

Brazilian Feminism and Political Movements

This paper will show that the feminist movement in Brazil was an uphill struggle; women had to reinvent their position in society, resist the military regime of an authoritarian state, and organize and unify themselves as a group before they gained women's rights. After suffrage was granted women had decades more work before equal rights were established.

Male supremacy was the norm in Brazilian culture. Men and women were brought up to lead completely different lives. From childhood on women were confined to the domestic sphere while men conquered the public sphere. A girl's education was just enough to allow her to function in society, focusing much more on domesticity. Boys were encouraged to complete higher courses of study as he would be the breadwinner of the family. The man was the head of the household; he had the legal right to say how his children were brought up, the means of their education, and even where the family's place of residence was. Women were denied all of these until their husband's death.

One of the greatest obstacles the women's movement faced was organization. Women were not encouraged to follow or speak their opinion of political matters. Several outspoken women used the press as an influential means to reach and inform women while helping them to organize.

Women were granted the right to vote in 1932, but women's political participation was limited. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Brazilian society was in opposition to the authoritarian rule and rallied against it. As they created a broad front political differences were overlooked such as sex, race, etc. It wasn't until the late 1970's that women's rights were heard by political leaders. The 1980s were an influential decade in women's rights. The National Council on Women's Rights was established and in 1988 a new Constitution was implemented.