Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Gender inequality in Brazil - statistics & facts
Gender inequality persists as a widespread and deeply ingrained problem all over the world, and Brazil is no exception. The Latin American country has a population of more than 216 million residents, where approximately 51 percent are women. Despite this, it was ranked, in 2024, the seventh-worst country in the region concerning equality of opportunities in education, health, economy, and politics between genders. In spite of this inequality, the Brazilian women reported violence, harassment, and femicide as the most worrying issues in 2022.
At corporate level, women occupied only 29 percent of the executive positions in 2023. When broken down, only 17 percent of the presidency roles were held by women, with vice-presidency being the most commonly held position. Looking at industries, the primary sector companies have only had seven percent of their presidencies held by women, whereas the commerce sector appears to be the most female-friendly, with one out of every two leaders being a woman.
Inequality also occurs in unpaid tasks. Women spend more time than men in domestic work. In 2022, unemployed women in Brazil worked almost twice as many hours per week than unemployed men. When it comes to caregiving activities of children, the elderly, or people with disabilities, women have a higher participation than men. In 2022, nearly 35 percent of women performed some tasks related to caregiving, while the share of men was just over 23 percent.
Despite being the largest demographic group in the country, being the gender that heads more households, and having higher levels of education, women in Brazil face an uphill battle when it comes to economic equality, as the gender gap, such as the wage gap, remains resistant to change.
Women in power positions
Brazil is one of the four South American countries which have had women serving as heads of government or heads of state. In 2011, Dilma Rousseff became the first woman to be elected president. However, women in leadership positions are still not common in the country. In fact, only two out of 27 federative units have women as governors. In legislative positions, women have never, at least since 2002, represented more than 19 percent of positions, regardless of the legislative body for which they were candidates.At corporate level, women occupied only 29 percent of the executive positions in 2023. When broken down, only 17 percent of the presidency roles were held by women, with vice-presidency being the most commonly held position. Looking at industries, the primary sector companies have only had seven percent of their presidencies held by women, whereas the commerce sector appears to be the most female-friendly, with one out of every two leaders being a woman.
Socio-economic inequality
The Brazilian women have faced a higher unemployment rate at least since 1999. But not only do they have less employment opportunities, they also, when employed, have shorter work weeks. In the second quarter of 2024, women worked on average approximately 37 hours per week, while their male counterparts worked 41 hours. Furthermore, the gender pay gap favored men in almost every professional category and educational background.Inequality also occurs in unpaid tasks. Women spend more time than men in domestic work. In 2022, unemployed women in Brazil worked almost twice as many hours per week than unemployed men. When it comes to caregiving activities of children, the elderly, or people with disabilities, women have a higher participation than men. In 2022, nearly 35 percent of women performed some tasks related to caregiving, while the share of men was just over 23 percent.
Despite being the largest demographic group in the country, being the gender that heads more households, and having higher levels of education, women in Brazil face an uphill battle when it comes to economic equality, as the gender gap, such as the wage gap, remains resistant to change.
