By Vanessa Fonseca
Originally published in Correio Braziliense
The debate on gender is necessary and increasingly urgent in the country. Events such as the gang rape of a teenager in Rio de Janeiro show one of the most violent and shocking faces of the problem.
But inequalities between women and men present themselves in many ways in our daily lives, often invisible to some eyes and reinforced by discourses that attribute specific roles to both.
It is essential to insert this debate in the context of transversal public policies, taking advantage of already consolidated spaces for reflection that contribute to breaking behavior patterns that harm both men and women.
One of the most powerful current public instruments for this is the Bolsa Família program – an income transfer policy with undeniable positive results in combating social inequalities and which can (and should) be used to deepen the gender debate among the population served.
The fact that the benefit is mainly aimed at women has contributed to raising this discussion. Today, they are 93% of the program's beneficiaries, and 68% of the women served are black.
The transfer of income into the hands of women allows them to have greater control over family resources, the recognition of their authority in the domestic space and their perception as citizens, since – due to the program's conditions – they need to organize documents and go after their rights in a public service.
It is necessary to take advantage of these conditions and go further in questioning norms and attributing behaviors that produce violence, hierarchies between men and women and restrict the freedom of all people, among other consequences.
Based on this challenge, the Promundo Institute, supported by the UN Women Gender Equality Fund, developed the project “Involving men and women in promoting gender equality in conditional income transfer programs”.
Over three years, debates and educational campaigns were held with men and women from families benefiting from the program, in Rio de Janeiro and Recife, to discuss ways to promote gender equality.
While before the activities 75% of men agreed that taking care of children was part of their responsibilities, at the end of the project 100% of participating men agreed with this premise. And if before 35.5% stated that taking care of the house, children and cooking for the family are the main functions of women, at the end of the activities only 22% agreed with this statement.
The current phase of the project involves training professionals who work directly with Bolsa Família beneficiaries. The objective is for the discussion of gender to be included in their routines and activities and a Toolbook with guidelines and activity suggestions was produced for this purpose.
Gender equality cannot be a utopia or remain in discourse. It is necessary to insert this discussion in the context of public policies and encourage equal rights in everyday life.
But none of this will be possible if men are not included in this challenge. Many are open and attentive to this new reality, especially because they no longer fit into the crushing stereotypes of masculinity imposed by society. It is now necessary to take advantage of opportunities and occupy existing spaces to disseminate this more than necessary practice.
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