Overall, women in Brazil have attained a high rate of literacy and comprise more than half of the tertiary school enrollments. Therefore, the pool of women with the basic literacy and education for using IT has increased over the past 20 years (see The Facts box). Although women make-up over half of the students at the tertiary levels, consistent with most other countries, the number of female students declines to 34% within the field of natural sciences including engineering and computer sciences, the typical academic track for IT jobs.

Opportunities and Challenges for Women in IT

Brazilian women's comparatively high Internet use rate (43% of total users), educational attainment levels and participation in the workforce position middle-upper class women as potential leaders in the information technology (IT) workforce in Brazil. As in much of Latin America, women's participation in the work force has increased dramatically during the past 15 years. As of 1997, women made up 40% of the work force in Brazil. However, like many other countries, they are represented in the largest numbers in the service sector. Within the IT sector, women reportedly make up only 20% of workers in Brazil's software industry and fewer women are employed in hardware jobs, such as networking because "Latino culture" views women as unsuitable for these jobs. Therefore, their ability to assume IT jobs will depend upon several factors such as on-the-job- treatment and pay equity. A 2000 report on Gender in Brazil by the World Bank described Brazil as having "one of the widest gender wage gaps in Latin America". Therefore, women's participation in the Internet economy is constrained by obstacles both within the culture and in the work place. Although Brazil has enacted a policy framework for guaranteeing a gender-equitable workplace, this is not often enforced.

While much progress is still needed for broad access to the Internet and computers among women at all income levels, Brazil's telecommunications policy is conducive to this goal. The country is in the process of fully deregulating its telecommunications sector and abundant competition among Internet Service Providers make Internet access costs among the cheapest in Latin America at $18/month.

Brazil's government is also cognizant of the need to provide all Brazilians with access to computers and marketable skills. A new government initiative, through the Federal University of Minas Gerais, that is devoted to making computers available to the public, will produce basic computers for $200-$250 or on a monthly payment plan. The First Lady of Brazil, Mrs. Ruth Cardoza has also been an outspoken advocate of the women's participation in the Internet economy and has supported programs that provide access and skills-training to poorer women and communities. Schools now offer computer classes at the primary and secondary levels, but this is just emerging. In keeping abreast of these national goals, Cisco has recently opened academies at both university and vocational track institutions.

The Cisco Networking Academy Program in Brazil consists of approximately 20 academies, several of which have recently been established in more rural states and in non-traditional institutions in order to provide IT training to ethnically and economically diverse groups. The following two profiles of Networking Academies at SENAC and LARC at University of Sao Paulo represent the program in two different settings: a university and a continuing education institution. But for the most part, both institutions still serve urban, middle-to upper- middle class students.

The following publications were referenced in this report:

• UNESCO 1999 Statistical Yearbook.
• United Nations Statistics Division, The World's Women, 2000.
• UNIFEM/UNU Report on Gender and Telecommunications Policies.
• www.wired.com. "Brazil's Amazonian Net Reach." February, 2001.
• Ibid.
• Clarification was not given on whether the program admits all females who apply or all who meet the qualifications for the program.