Gender equality urgent for 75% of Brazilians, survey shows

A survey by Ibope and the United Nations (UN) Women released Tuesday (Mar. 14) shows that 75% of Brazilians believe it is very or extremely important for lawmakers and leaders to develop policies for gender equality. Considering women alone, this number reaches 78%, compared to 71% for men.

In an analysis based on race and color, 75% of whites, 74% of blacks, and 78% of those who describe themselves as belonging to another race (Asian and indigenous, for instance) regard the creation of policies for gender equality as very or extremely important.

In the view of sociologist and opinion poll specialist Fátima Jordão, despite the historical inequalities between people with different ethnic conditions in Brazil, the study found a high and homogenous demand for gender equality.

“In such a racist country as ours, gender inequality is a major concern for 3 of every 4 Brazilians. This piece of information stresses the need to debate and propose policies aimed at making cities more egalitarian, especially for black women, who suffer from the effects of discrimination more severely,” Fátima said in a note.

The study is part of an agenda entitled Cidades 50-50: Todas e todos pela igualdade (Cities 50-50: All Men and Women for Equality, in a literal English translation), an initiative aimed at having municipal leaders commit to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women across the cities.

Nadine Gasman, a representative from Brazil's UN Women, believes the information is in line with the challenges taken up by the Brazilian government in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“We now have data on the perception of Brazilian men and women about their living conditions regarding gender relations, as well as indications on what should be done by mayors in key areas for the life of a city,” her note reads.

The figures indicate how much priority current mayors and city councilors should ascribe to the several areas assessed: access and development in education and culture, access to the market place, and the same salaries and opportunities for all political parties and governments.

Segmented data analyses

For UN Women, a gender-based analysis of the statistics shows how women are likely to demand more recognition and the enforcement of rights from the new local  authorities.

“The poll found that mayors and city councilors of both genders should look carefully into the demands of women, who have been on the front line of street rallies, school occupations, and make up more than half of the country's labor force.”

According to the survey, 81% of women regard gender equality in the work place very or extremely important, whereas 73% of men have the same opinion. The same percentage (81% for women, 73% for men) argued that “access and development in education and culture” are very or extremely important in ensuring gender equality.

Also, 72% of women and 65% of men see the development of policies aimed at providing women with the same conditions and opportunities in political parties and governments as very or extremely important.

The Cidades 50-50 initiative is spearheaded by UN Women and supported by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the Patrícia Galvão Institute – Media and Rights and the University of Brasília (UnB) Demodê Research Group.

The survey heard 2,002 people aged above 16 across 143 municipalities from February 16 to 20, and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira