Gender and Public Security: An Analysis of Women in the Brazilian Polices.

This paper proposes a discussion on gender aspects underling the police institutions in Brazil based on a study of women's civilian (judiciary) and military (patrol) police in eleven states. The aim of this study was to understand and explain the power dynamics crossed by gender meanings in police institutions from three main dimensions: 1) work of policewomen conditions in the current context, considering that their entry in these institutions took place in the 80s; 2) forms of violence generated and produced within police institutions, which are predominantly male spaces and permeated by force, expressing the monopoly of legitimate violence; and finally, 3) how gender issues affect on women's careers in the police. The empirical research used focus groups with women of both police institutions nationwide. From the fieldwork we observed that there are processes that promotes invisibility of women in Brazilian police institutions, which are evident both in working conditions, as the institutional violence, as well as on issues related to career. The research allows highlighting the tensions and contradictions that has marked the process of integration of women in the police. It is an ongoing "insertion process", full of advances and setbacks, which needs to be constantly enhanced and updated by women’s conduct, practices and strategies to obtain the approval and recognition of colleagues. Remains in Brazil, the challenge of building a citizen police the incorporate gender issues in its institutional policy.