The New Amazons in Amazon Town? A Case Study of Women's Public Roles in Gurupá, Pará, Brazil

The Amazonian community of Gurupá is unusual among Brazilian communities in that during the decade of the 1980s most of the political, judicial, education, and health care positions have been occupied by women. Based on fieldwork between 1983 and 1991, this article explores the reasons behind Gurupá women's "monopoly" on public roles. It examines national patterns of gender roles and public occupations, cultural views on gender stereotypes, the historical precedent of women in public roles in Gurupá, and the influence of feminism and Liberation Theology. Three reasons are then offered to explain the domination of women in the public sphere of Gurupá

Amazon rainforest · Economic growth · Feminism · Monopoly · Political science · Politics · Public health · Public sphere · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Gender Studies · Indigenous Health and Education · Law