Jos Digo Nascimento da Silva

Gender Equality

In this essay I will try to show how gender equality is important in society, especially in Brazil.
The country recognized the neglect that women suffer. In order to achieve that all people, women
and men, enjoy the same rights and opportunities. Both genders must act across all sectors of
society, including economic and political participation, to be able to make their own decisions.
Gender equality is a big progress when we see the different behaviours, aspirations and needs of
women and men are equally valued and favoured.
The United Nations Gender Inequality Index (UN GII) measures gender inequalities in three
aspects of human development: reproductive health, empowerment and economic status. Based
on women who are discriminated against in health, education and the labour market with negative
repercussions for their freedom.
There is a network comprised by civil society organizations called "Social Watch" which
prepares a gender equality index too, based on the gap between women and men in education,
economy and political empowerment.
In Brazil there is still a terrible reality in the contemporary world. Nowadays, women suffer from
discrimination in their lives. In the fight for gender equality, governments and civil society have an
important role in stimulating policies and actions. In this respect, Brazil has been making an effort
to foster gender equality, and women's struggle for rights as equal citizens has continued from the
20th century.
The feminist movement has put a spotlight on the necessity to create new policies to watch
over gender discrimination, to change old conceptions and to consolidate the new role of women
in the world.
The most pervasive violations of women rights involve sexual and domestic behaviours, which
are both considered crimes. Most major cities have Delegacia da Mulher. (Women's Station), a
special police station to deal with crimes and all cases of violence against women. Reporting
crimes and receiving help have been proven a big problem for women who live in small cities in
remote areas.
"There were approximately 307 stations for more than 6,000 municipalities; 40 percent were in
So Paulo State and 13 percent in Minas Gerais State. There was only one station in the states of
Acre, Alagoas, Ceara, and the Federal District of Brasilia until 2004."
In the election of 2010, Brazilian people voted for Dilma Rousseff, the first woman to be
elected president of Brazil. In the election of 2014, for the first time ever, three female candidates
were competing for the presidency of Brazil, an evidence of historic change in the Brazilian
society.
In October 2004, Luizianne Lins was elected mayor of Fortaleza, Ceara state capital, and reelected in 2008. In Fortaleza women represent more than half of the population. Therefore, since
2005 the government has made great efforts to reduce the historical debt that city has with its
women. Establishing public policies that became a milestone in the construction of their
citizenship.

Luizianne in her mandate, along with the government created: The Special Coordination of
Policies for Women; the Reference Center for Assistance to Women in Domestic Violence
Situation and "Sexual Francisca Clotilde", the "Disque-Denncia" of Violence against Women; the
"Casa Abrigo" - to accommodate women in situations of violence. Productivity projects and priority
in health policies (the "Hospital da Mulher" Women's Hospital, the biggest example) and housing.
Policies that only came have more attention and completion in her mandate .
However, people should support gender equality, to be real, to be human and to become a
better version of ourselves. World of inequality leads to the reverse, changing old conceptions and
opening our minds. In one of the campaigns of Luizianne Lins used the theme "I am a woman. I
decide my life." This will be preached to all women, we all have the same rights. We have to be
aware, this is not a fight only for women, but for all of us.

Despite the advances made throughout history, such as the right to education, work and
participation in decision-making spaces and power, inequality persists. The undervaluing of
women's work, sexist violence and also the little representation in institutional settings are some
examples. There is still a lot to be done yet, but we are advancing the achievements for an
egalitarian and just society with women.