Brazilian NGO fights for gender equality by teaching women new skills

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By CGTN's Lucrecia Franco

Globally, gender pay gap still exists, with women paid less than men for the same work or position. In Brazil, women work more than men, but they still earn less. They also lead families and do most of the housework.

A non-governmental organization (NGO) in Rio de Janeiro is fighting to empower women.

Renata Bispo, a 33-year-old mother of four, is happy. She has a job, her first job. She is now a talented seamstress thanks to the "Mulheres do Salgueiro" center – Women of Salgueiro, in English.

Two seamstresses at work. /VCG Photo

"I am going through a difficult time because I am separated," Bispo said. "But then I think, thank God, I have a profession. It would be much worse if I didn't."

Bispo is also an instructor at the NGO that teaches women of a poor community in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, how to sew and become artisans of some kind.

Janete Nazareth, the NGO founder, struggles to get orders but also sells the center’s innovative products such as handbags and garments manufactured with fish skin and leftovers from clothing factories.

Women shop at Sao Joaquim market, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. /VCG Photo

"Since 2006, when we began, we have trained more than 5,000 women and we believe that at least 60 percent are now supporting themselves," said Nazareth.

But women in Brazil still face inequality. Since 2015, the latest official figures show that women work on average five hours per week more than men, and earn 76 percent of what men earn. More than 20 percent of women don't have a job or qualifications. Women represent 44 percent of Brazil’s labor market, according to the government.

Most of these women are the heads of their family, they are unemployed and learning a new profession to earn a living and inspire others to do the same.

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