Participação das mulheres em cooperativas da agricultura familiar de Santa Catarina

Abstract

Gender equality is a current and very important issue for sustainable development, especially in developing regions like Brazil. In 2015 it was included among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which establishes an agenda for sustainable development by 2030. The main objective of this study is to identify the participation and contribution of women in the management and development of family farming cooperatives in the state. of Santa Catarina. Data collection was carried out between December 2019 and August 2020, using an online questionnaire, prepared through a list of semi-structured questions to the managers and / or directors of the cooperatives. The interviews were composed of objective and descriptive questions containing the description of the cooperatives, profile of the associated farmers, as well as about women and their relations with the cooperative. The results indicate that the female participation in the management of the cooperative, whether on the board of directors, inspector or at the general meeting is small. Despite the low participation of women, the cooperatives recognize that women are the main responsible for the economic activities developed, with emphasis on fruit, agroindustry and milk. The clear contradiction between the role of women in the productive (agricultural) and decision-making (cooperative) phases is indicative of gender inequality in the family farming cooperatives studied. Some cooperatives (28%) develop strategies to promote women. However, these initiatives have little to do with effective female empowerment actions, with a focus on increasing women's participation in decision-making bodies.