Black rural women in cooperatives

Existence, resistance, and empowerment

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the participation of rural women, especially Black women, in cooperatives and in board positions, with the goal of debating whether rural cooperativism is a mechanism for gender and racial equity, based on the context of Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul. To achieve this, the theoretical-methodological perspective of intersectionality was adopted, which allows us to understand how gender, race, and class intersect in shaping inequalities. A database of 64 cooperatives was used, with 36 located in Bahia and 28 in Rio Grande do Sul. Primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire sent to the cooperatives between July and August 2023. Despite the predominance of white men in the most powerful positions in the cooperatives, it was found that among the 10 cooperatives headed by rural women, 62.8% are Black. This data demonstrates the existence, resilience, and protagonism of Black and mixed-race women, more expressively in cooperatives in Bahia. Nevertheless, it is necessary to reflect on cooperative practices based on an intersectional perspective, in order to adopt policies of racial and gender inclusion in cooperatives, with training aimed primarily at female and Black leaders.