New Minister for Women

An important item of Brazilian news today is that a new government minister has taken over at the helm of Brazil’s ‘Special Secretariat for Policies for Women’. She is Eleonora Menicucci and her appointment has been warmly made and welcomed by President Dilma Rousseff.

Dilma emphasised that while Eleonora Menicucci will bring her unique talents and energy to the role she will nonetheless act within a framework of collective government policy and guidelines. She reminded listeners that the coalition administration does in fact have very little in the way of disagreements founded on political or religious bases.

The President and Ms. Menicucci are old friends and colleagues of many years’ standing. In fact they were both persecuted by the former military dictatorship and imprisoned together (and indeed shared a cell for a time) in the so-called ‘Tower of the Maidens’ wing in Tiradentes Prison in Sao Paolo.

During the inauguration last week, both women complemented each other and reminisced about the mutual support they gave each other during those awful times. However. The sociologist and pro-feminist Eleonora Menicucci reminded her audience that she has had many other experiences in life which she can also bring to her new responsibility.

She has been, for example, a Professor of Public Health and also pro-rector of ‘UNIFESP’ (Brazil’s Federal University of Sao Paolo).

Her CV further includes a Doctorate in Political Science from USP in Brazil plus post doctorate studies in Health and Women’s issues at Italy’s University of Milan.

Her appointment will be seen as very positive for the advancement of women in the country, especially regarding their position in the workplace and as consumers. This inevitably implies their increased participation in such schemes as the affordable housing programme ‘ Minha Casa Minha Vida ’
The appointment of Eleonora is therefore seen by observers as continuing the policy of the administration to include well-qualified women (and men!) at the highest levels of public prominence.