Brazil Pushes for 50% Women in Senior Roles by 2030

Luiza Helena Trajano, chair of the Grupo Mulheres do Brasil, said at the inaugural Summit Mulheres nas Profissões in São Paulo that Brazil aims to have women occupy half of senior positions by 2030. She noted that women hold only 18% of political seats and that CEOs of banks and retailers remain overwhelmingly male. Recent legislation introduced gender quotas for boards of public and mixed‑ownership companies as a transitional measure.

A separate analysis by Sebrae showed that in 2025 Brazil recorded 10.4 million women entrepreneurs, a 27% rise since 2015, yet women own just 34.3% of businesses and earn on average 24% less than male peers. Most female entrepreneurs work alone, with 71% of formal owners operating solo and nearly all informal owners without employees. The data underline entrepreneurship as a survival strategy for many Brazilian women amid persistent wage gaps and limited access to credit and networks.