The Chapéu de Palha Mulher program was a 2007-2014 initiative of the Women's Secretariat of Pernambuco, Brazil to promote gender equality and empower rural women. The program provided citizenship training, education opportunities, and professional training to over 73,000 rural women across 48% of municipalities in Pernambuco. It helped enhance women's self-esteem, knowledge of rights, and expand their career prospects in economically important industries for their regions. Quantitative results included over 24,000 women receiving professional training and over 28,000 children being assisted through related childcare programs.

1. Chapéu de Palha Mulher
"a quiet revolution”
Presentation
Cristina Maria Buarque
Fundação Joaquim Nabuco
BRASIL - Outubro 2014

2. Chapéu de Palha Mulher
2007-2014
Program of the
Women's Secretariat of the
Government of Pernambuco to
address Rural Women

3. Pernambuco-Brasil
 Total Population = 9,3 millions
 Female Population = 4,8 millions
 Rural Population = 2 millions
 Female Rural Population = 1 million
 Area = 98.143 km²
 Macroregions of the State = (05) Região
Metropolitana do Recife, Mata, Agreste e Sertão
 Geopolitical Divisions = 184 municipalities

4. Pernambuco-Brasil

5. Pernambuco-Brasil
Background
 Stagnant economic and social development
 Absence of public policies to promote gender
equality
 Welfare programs for women
 Rural women movement to enforce rights

6. Pernambuco-Brasil
Change of Direction (2007)
Accelerate the economic development of the State -
reaching a GDP growth of 8%, similar to that of China and
higher than the national and regional averages
Prioritize social policies with inclusion of gender policies

7. Pernambuco-Brasil
Strategic definitions to gender policies
Autonomy – building an executive body for gender
politics in the state apparatus
Transversality - promote equality between men and
women in the state apparatus
 Participation - relationship between State and
organized civil society
 Sustainability - implementation of gender policy in
education, influencing new generations
 Democratization of opportunities in the world of work

8. Pernambuco-Brasil
Challenges to promote gender equality
Formulate public policies on gender, focusing women’s ethnic-racial,
regional, generational and physical conditions, as well as
their social class and sexual orientation
Ensure state participation in childcare
Promote mechanisms to accelerate the access of women to
knowledge, to improve their skills and potentialities

9. Pernambuco-Brasil
Policy of Strategic Reinforcement for Rural Women
Chapéu de Palha Mulher for women in between
harvest season
Convergir Mulher for women of family farming

10. • 3 Mins Movie on Chapéu de Palha Mulher

11. Chapéu de Palha Mulher
Objectives
Support women to overcome historical gender inequalities
Attend the segment of rural women, linked to seasonal
crops (sugarcane, fruit culture and fisherwomen)
Create opportunities to active participation of rural women
in decision-making processes of public policy, expanding
the conditions of the sustainable development of
Pernambuco

12. Strategies
Chapéu de Palha Mulher
Sociopolitical training
Opportunities to expand formal education
Professionalization with quality, adapting to the
Regional Market
Partnership with local NGOs and institutions of
excellence for professional training

13. Strategies
Chapéu de Palha Mulher
Establishment of a Network of Public Policies
Agents for Rural Women
Creation of conditions for women's participation in
trainings: financial grant, childcare, transportation
and food
Combined courses offer, relating citizenship, raising
the schooling and professional training

14. Chapéu de Palha Mulher
Accelerator effect of women’s development
Enhancement of women’s self-esteem, their belief in
themselves and in their potentialities
Enhancement of women’s knowledge about the world and
on their rights, including not to be subjected to violence -
expanding their ambitions, hopes and dreams
Professional training in activities related to economic
vocation of the region – without gender tabus

15. Chapéu de Palha Mulher
Qualitative results
 Commission for Rural Women of Pernambuco
 Plan of Public Policies for Rural Women
 Rural Women Center, to serve all segments of rural
women
 Management strengthening of Women NGOs
 Opening of a new workmarket for recreators
(municipal nurseries)

16. Chapéu de Palha Mulher
Quantitative results
 73.521 women trained in citizenship courses
 24.015 women trained in professional courses
 28.010 children assisted with recreation
 2.153 educators trained to act in citizenship courses
 2.391 recreators trained to keep children
entertained and cared for while women take the
courses
 89 municipalities attended - 48% of Pernambuco
 40 NGOs of women involved

17. THANK YOU!
Cristina Maria Buarque
Researcher of the Fundação Joaquim Nabuco
cristibuarque@uol.com.br
Other references
Secretariat for Women of Pernambuco
Fone: +55 + 81 +3183 2950
secmulher@secmulher.pe.gov.br
www.secmulher.pe.gov.br