Queens of the palace: women in the Brazilian diplomatic career
Since 1993, women make up less than 25% of the Brazilian diplomatic career. In 2018, women are still less than 25% of the total number of Brazilian diplomats, and most of them do not reach the highest prestige rank in the Itamaraty hierarchy. Under this aegis, the present research seeks to understand how the hierarchical-patriarchal structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides gender inequalities regarding the rise of women in the Brazilian diplomatic career. The suggested hypotheses is related to the island character of Itamaraty, its own ethos and tradition and its connection with the continuity of the white male elite as a strong economic and political actor. To do so, we will first discuss the issue of gender and its involvement with International Relations; then Itamaraty characteristics will be presented and analyzed; and, finally, the issue of women in the Brazilian diplomatic career will be addressed.