The private and the public as spaces of action and segregation

an analysis of women's professional trajectories from the perspective of two newspapers from Minas Gerais in the 1930s and 1960s

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the presence and performance of women in Public Administration by analyzing female representation in the Minas Gerais newspapers Estado de Minas and Diário da Tarde in the 1930s and 1960s. Through a historical and sociological reflection on the inclusion of women in the public sphere, the study highlights the transformations and continuities of female representation over time, while also revealing the subtleties of media discourse, which sometimes legitimized and sometimes contested female inclusion in the public space. The objective is to shed light on the emerging female voices in public administration, as well as the silences that often surrounded them, contributing to a broader and deeper understanding of gender dynamics in Brazilian politics and Public Administration. In addition, the research raises reflections on the stereotypes propagated and the patterns still rooted in our society, highlighting the urgent need to promote reforms and implement processes that challenge and deconstruct these asymmetrical discourses that perpetuate gender inequality.