POPULAR LEGAL COUNSELLING AS A TOOL FOR ADDRESSING GENDER INEQUALITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The case of student mothers at the University Restaurant at UFPB and their dispute for the acknowledgment of student motherhood rights

Abstract

This article examines the role of the Popular University Legal Advisory (AJUP) as an instrument for promoting human rights and confronting gender inequalities within the university, based on the experience of the Popular Extension Center (NEP) with the collective of student mothers at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB). The study adopts a participatory research methodology, conducting a critical analysis through the case study of these students’ demand for the inclusion of their children in access to meals at the University Restaurant (RU). This struggle highlights the urgency of more inclusive institutional policies attentive to gender issues. The findings indicate that AJUP, by combining popular legal practices with social engagement, strengthens the agency of student mothers, makes historically marginalized demands visible, and challenges the university to rethink its spaces through the lens of gender justice and the democratization of student permanence.

Keywords: Popular Legal Counselling; Human Rights; Gender Inequality; Student Motherhood; University Restaurant.