Policies for Women in Brazil Between 2015 and 2019: Structure, Leadership, and Budget

Abstract

This article examines the deinstitutionalization of policies for women in Brazil from 2015 to 2019. The analysis begins in the year preceding the removal of the country’s first female president, Dilma Rousseff, and concludes with the first year of Jair Bolsonaro’s administration. Using the case study of the national agency responsible for women’s policy management, the article analyzes institutional changes during this period, the profile of women occupying high-ranking positions, and the agency’s budget. The study reveals that four institutional changes occurred within four years. While from 2003 to 2015 there was a ministry exclusively dedicated to women’s policies, up 2015, these policies were managed by a ministry addressing various other issues. Regarding the profile of high-ranking women in these organs, a transition was observed from feminists to anti-feminists, highlighting that this shift reflects not only an institutional redesigning within the state but also a much deeper change in the direction taken in terms of state action. The budget analysis further underscored the institutional fragility of women’s policies in Brazil between 2015 and 2019. There was a nearly 90% reduction in financial resources, very low budget execution, and a change in the policy focus. Finally, the study argues that combating violence against women has always been one of the most important pillars of public policies for women in Brazil. However, between 2016 and 2019, it became the only issue remaining on the agenda of the national agency for women’s policy management.