Study: Importance of International Women's Day 2018

Every year on March 8, it is International Women's Day. This date has been part of commemorative events for many years in memory of the movements supporting women's rights in the early 20th century in Europe and the United States. But how do Brazilian women view this day today, and how important is it to them? Do they still face disadvantages for not being men?

To answer these questions, Trocando Fraldas conducted a study with more than 14,000 users of its portal across Brazil between February 5 and 12, 2018, through a survey. Women answered freely and voluntarily, also indicating their age group and place of residence, allowing for regional comparisons.

Questions

The following questions were asked:

For you, does March 8 have meaning?
Do you know why the date was established as International Women's Day?
Do you think feminism is necessary?
Do you consider yourself a feminist?
Have you ever suffered any kind of violence because you are a woman?
What type did you suffer?
Have you ever participated in any movement supporting women's rights?
Have you ever felt at a disadvantage at any time because you are a woman?
Do you think the situation for women will improve in the future?

Results

For the purpose of comparison by region, state, and capital, the answers to ‘yes/no’ questions were converted into numbers—1 for “Yes” and 0 for “No.” This way, it was possible to calculate averages that formed the basis for various charts and rankings of the results below.

Importance of the Day

For 69% of Brazilian women, International Women's Day has meaning
Among mothers, this rises to 72% and reaches 85% for women over 50
In the Southeast region, only 68% see importance, while 74% of Northeastern women think so
In Maranhão and Roraima, 4 out of 5 residents see something meaningful in the day
In Acre, Goiás, and the Federal District, it's less than two-thirds
B oa Vista and São Luís lead the ranking with 82% and 80%, while only 60% and 63% in Goiânia and Vitória consider the day important

Knowledge of the Origin

4 out of 9 women do not know the origin of the movement in support of women's rights
The lowest rate of awareness is among younger women aged 18 to 24, with only 53%, and the highest among those over 50, at 73%
In the Central-West region, the rate reaches 60%, while in the Southeast it is only 53%
In Rio Grande do Norte, Amapá, Espírito Santo, and Rio de Janeiro, only half know the original reason
In Maranhão and Amazonas, the rate is almost two-thirds
São Luís leads the capitals with 77% awareness of the origin
On the other hand, residents of the capitals of the Southeast are less aware than the Brazilian average about the story behind the date

Do you think
feminism
is necessary?

Feminism in 2018

58% think feminism is necessary, but only 41% consider themselves feminists
The need for feminism is most recognized among young women (18 to 24) and older women (over 50), and lowest, at 53%, among those aged 30 to 39
The majority of self-declared feminists are aged between 40 and 44, at 47%
The position is unrelated to whether they have children or not
Recognition of the need for feminism is highest in the Northeast at 64%, as is the rate, because almost half of Northeastern women consider themselves feminists
In the Central-West, only 53% see the need, and only 36% consider themselves feminists
In Alagoas and Sergipe, more than two-thirds think feminism is needed, and only in Paraíba does more than half of women identify as feminists
In the Federal District and Roraima, less than half see the need, and only 3 in 10 women adopt feminism
In Salvador, nearly 3/4 consider it necessary, but only 53% see themselves as part of the movement, while Palmas is the feminist capital with 67%
In Goiânia, only 3 in 10 women consider themselves feminists

Violence for Being a Woman

31% of women have experienced violence because of their sex
The age group between 40 and 44 is most affected, at 35%, while only 1 in 4 of the oldest women have faced this unpleasant experience
Mothers are more likely to be targets than women without children
Violence is present uniformly across all regions of Brazil
Women in the Federal District, Rio Grande do Sul, Tocantins, and Santa Catarina have experienced the most violence for being women (over 35%)
In Sergipe, Mato Grosso, and Paraíba, it affects 1 in 4 women (the lowest rate)
Palmas, Florianópolis, and Salvador are the most violent capitals against women, while Belo Horizonte, Manaus, and Aracaju are the least
The most common type of violence is moral/psychological, experienced by 3 in 5 women, followed by physical and sexual violence, each with 32%

Ranking of Violence Against Women Among Capitals
1.	Palmas
2.	Florianópolis
3.	Salvador
4.	Rio Branco
5.	Porto Alegre
6.	São Luís
7.	Brasília
8.	Vitória
9.	Recife
10.	Belém
11.	Curitiba
12.	Teresina
13.	Natal
14.	João Pessoa
15.	Boa Vista
16.	Fortaleza
17.	Rio de Janeiro
18.	Campo Grande
19.	Cuiabá
20.	São Paulo
21.	Porto Velho
22.	Goiânia
23.	Maceió
24.	Macapá
25.	Manaus
26.	Aracajú
27.	Belo Horizonte

Participation in Movements

20% of women have already participated in some movement supporting women's rights
Engagement is highest among women over 45 with more than 35%, and lowest among those 25 to 29, with only 17%
Mothers and non-mothers engage equally
Women's activism is higher in the Northeast (24%) and lower in the South and Southeast (16%)
Maranhão, Piauí, and Amapá have the most involved women, with 27% to 30%
In Tocantins (12%), Rondônia, Paraná, and São Paulo (all 15%), engagement is lower
While in São Luís, Teresina, and Cuiabá, 1 in 3 women have participated in some movement supporting their own cause, only 15% or fewer have in Porto Velho, Palmas, São Paulo, or Porto Alegre

Disadvantages for Being a Woman and the Future

More than half (56%) of Brazilian women have felt at a disadvantage because of their gender, regardless of age, region, or maternal status
More than 3 out of 5 women have already experienced discrimination against women in Rio Grande do Sul, Tocantins, Federal District, and Maranhão
Only half have experienced this in Mato Grosso, Amapá, and Alagoas
Palmas is the capital where most women have faced disadvantage for being women (75%), followed by Brasília and Campo Grande (62%)
In Boa Vista, Teresina, and Cuiabá, just under half the women have faced some disadvantage
The vast majority, 79% of Brazilian women, see the future for women in the country optimistically, regardless of age
Optimism is higher in the North at 83%, led by Amapá, Pará, and Rondônia, and lower in Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, and Rio de Janeiro (78%)
Macapá, Belém, and Natal (88%) are the most optimistic capitals regarding the future for women, and Belo Horizonte, Curitiba, and Recife (75%) the least