Family and the focus on women in Social Assistance Policy

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to discuss how public policiesthat are guided by the centrality of the family may contribute to changes in or reinforce gender inequalities. It surprises us that, in the services, programs and projects that have the family as guideline and focus, it is still the woman-mother who is called upon to participate in the activities promoted by these programs. The reflections proposed here are based on researches carried out between 2003 and 2007. These studies reveal how actions of this kind interfere with the production and reproduction of as gender relations, thus preserving subordination patterns or contributing for women’sempowerment.