POLITICAL EDUCATION FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR THE EFFECTIVE REALIZATION OF GENDER EQUALITY AS PROVIDED FOR IN THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION

Abstract

The underrepresentation of women in political power spaces in Brazil highlights the persistence of structural gender inequalities that cannot be resolved solely through normative provisions. This article analyzes political education aimed at adolescent girls enrolled in the second cycle of elementary school in the public school system as an instrument for implementing the constitutional principle of gender equality foreseen in Article 5, I, of the 1988 Federal Constitution. Through bibliographic and documentary research, with a qualitative and descriptive approach, it examines how educational practices oriented towards the construction of critical thinking can strengthen female autonomy, promote the recognition of rights, and expand women's participation in decision-making spaces throughout their lives. The theoretical framework articulates contributions from Beauvoir, Bourdieu, Saffioti, Scott, and Freire with an analysis of legal frameworks such as the Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education, the National Common Curricular Base, and international human rights treaties ratified by Brazil. The results indicate that the absence of systematized political education in the formative process of adolescent girls contributes to the reproduction of gender inequalities, while critical pedagogical practices—such as debates, leadership projects, student councils, and workshops on female empowerment—demonstrate the potential to transform this scenario. It is concluded that political education, when developed in a critical, inclusive, and democratic way, constitutes a relevant mechanism for social transformation and the realization of the Democratic Rule of Law, contributing to the formation of women aware of their rights and capable of occupying spaces of leadership and political participation.