Violences and Gender Relations: Women in Brazilian Polices

This research is being developed by a team of the Violence and Citizenship Research Group of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, beginning in January, 2013 and expected to end in December 2014. The aim is to comprehend and explain the dynamics of production and exercise of the violences within police institutions based on the power relations amongst men and women. The focus on such a male and use-of-force oriented space is still not well framed in gender studies. The dimensions of analysis cover working conditions, the career of policewomen and the institutional violence of the ambient. Therefore, the study is using mixed methods, specifically, surveys and focus groups evolving 13 states in Brazil. The fieldwork is pointing out many challenges for the insertion of women in the Brazilian police forces. The working conditions and environment show that the institutions were not properly adapted, as demonstrated by the lack or precariousness of spaces for women, like bathrooms or accommodation. Regarding the career, many limits related to the professional development can be perceived as well. The data from focus groups also allows for the identification of institutional violence based on daily practices, which sets, sometimes, situations of moral harassment.