Por/by: Carlos Alberto Pacheco

We need to think about the role of professionals from different realities and the gradual occupation of spaces

When the United Nations (UN) established International Women’s Day 45 years ago, the society called for a clearer debate on equality and rights of the female workforce within their contemporary landscape and their social and political accomplishments. On March 8, 1977, the world recognized women’s role, as they began to occupy important spaces in various branches of human activity, although they were still far from fully standing their ground wherever their endeavors led them.
More than four decades have passed, and women have progressively strengthened their representation in the face of male domination. In the economy, their presence is remarkable. They are the true day-to-day heroines – sometimes they are exemplary workers in the public or private sector, sometimes they assume the role of top executives, masterfully leading companies. They are also heads of families, housewives and, above all, mothers.
In these difficult and challenging times, with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, they have excelled in the ??health sector, saving lives. According to data from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), more than 70% of global health workers are women who are on the front-line in health facilities, clinics and hospitals. In addition to helping save lives, they take care of the communities of which they are a part and keep families together amidst the chaos.
In 2021, the National Council of Municipal Health Departments revealed interesting data based on the IBGE [Brazilian Institute of Statistics] surveys. In Brazil, female professionals account for 65% of the jobs in the public and private health sector, with a participation rate of more than 90% in careers such as Speech Therapy, Nutritional Science and Social Work.
According to the National Confederation of Insurance Companies (CNseg), women also make up more than half of the total number of professionals working in the insurance sector, and their performance has been remarkable in the sense of mitigating the government’s expenses in supporting society during the pandemic. Their prominence is evidenced also by the management positions they hold in some of the largest companies in Brazil and around the world.
In light of this reality and with a commitment to the best practices in diversity and inclusion of talents in the insurance career, CNseg celebrates annually, since 2019, the Day of Diversity and Inclusion in the Insurance Sector every September 25th. Diversity and inclusion are two subjects that have been added to the insurance companies’ agenda, stimulating deep reflections on the part of the main players.

Remarkable works

In recent years, the role of women in the sector has been the object of research and analysis. In 2019, the School of Business and Insurance (ENS) launched the third study on Women in the Insurance Market in Brazil, by economist Francisco Galiza and the entity’s director of Technical Education Maria Helena Monteiro. Two very encouraging conclusions can be drawn from this paper: the first is that one in four insurance executives is a woman – a percentage that is more favorable than those of the past. And the second conclusion confirms the information released by CNseg two years later: women are the majority in insurance companies (55%). Today, this percentage has grown to 57.5%.
In November 2020, Editora Leader launched the book Women in Insurance, drawing attention to a hot topic: gender equity. The work is filled with 30 accounts from professionals, executives and entrepreneurs who work in the main Brazilian cities, together with a profile of each woman. These co-authors tell their stories of professional achievement and how they balance this with their families and personal lives. The book was organized by Regina Lacerda, Rainha Seguros CEO’s, and publishing house Andréia Roma CEO’s.
The accounts of these women and their professional trajectories in the insurance world prove the unquestionable value of their actions for the development not only of the companies to which they work, but of the economy as a whole. The road to gender equity is strenuous, but results have started to appear, according to the data of recent surveys. Female empowerment is after all no longer a piece of fiction; it has become a reality in the business environment. The conquest of new spaces must be permanent, and the main challenge is to face the tacit assumptions of male-dominated environment. There are countless examples of female determination and competence from Brazilian art, music, politics and economics, as well as from health and well-being.