CHAIR FOR WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Abstract

This postdoctoral research project (2025–2026), carried out within the Stricto Sensu Graduate Program in Education (Ppge Unicentro), in the Education, Culture, and Diversity track, and linked to the Pdpg – Strategic Postdoctoral Program (Capes), investigates how public policies aimed at women can be analyzed and improved through the articulation of Human Rights Education (HRE), democratic theory, and gender studies, with an emphasis on women’s empowerment and female entrepreneurship. The research problem stems from the persistence of inequalities and vulnerabilities that constrain women’s human development, thereby requiring analytical parameters to enhance governmental actions and socio-educational practices. The study aims to develop an integrated analytical lens and indicators to examine policy design, implementation, monitoring, and women’s participation in policy formulation, execution, and evaluation, taking into account substantive equality and gender mainstreaming. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative, exploratory-descriptive approach, combining documentary analysis and content analysis of normative frameworks and institutional records, using the Unicentro Chair for Women’s Empowerment and Entrepreneurship (Ceef Unicentro) as its empirical reference. Partial findings indicate the project’s reach and educational effectiveness: it engaged approximately 8,000 women across 23 municipalities in 2025 and projects expansion to 60 municipalities in 2026, supported by partnerships with Seti, Semipi, and Cedm/PR. The study preliminarily concludes that intersectoral arrangements and robust extension practices strengthen autonomy, inform public management, and significantly advance theoretical-methodological debates in the field.