Entre nós e redesa ascensão de mulheres na burocracia federal brasileira

Resumo

This dissertation investigates how social networks influence the appointment of women to leadership positions in the Brazilian federal public administration. Although women constitute the majority of the public workforce, they remain underrepresented at the highest levels of the state hierarchy. The literature has explained this phenomenon through the lenses of representative bureaucracy, the sexual division of labor, and the glass ceiling, as well as through debates on technical and political motivations in public appointments. However, few studies incorporate the relational dimension as a central element in understanding the concrete processes through which access to power occurs. This research addresses this gap by analyzing the social networks of women in the career of Public Policy and Government Management Specialists (EPPGG), seeking to answer the following question: how do women’s social networks influence their appointment to leadership positions in the federal public service? The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining analysis of administrative data, a survey with 46 civil servants, and 24 semi-structured interviews including egocentric network mapping. Career trajectories were organized according to the combination of leadership level attained and patterns of institutional mobility, allowing comparison across four analytical groups. The findings show that the relational dimension is central to explaining appointments to senior leadership positions. In contexts of high discretion, qualified relational capital emerges as a necessary condition for advancement, as it ensures proximity to decision-making circuits, trust, and visibility at the moment of appointment. Technical capital is also necessary but not sufficient: high levels of education and professional experience are present across all groups, and what differentiates trajectories is the ability to circulate and legitimize competence within strategic networks. Institutional mobility alone does not explain outcomes; rather, it is the articulation between technical and relational capital that enables the conversion of circulation into upward mobility. At the same time, the sexual division of labor constrains investment in networks, producing smaller and less strategic structures. Finally, individual agency—expressed through intentionality and the conscious activation of resources—helps explain why, under similar conditions, some women advance while others do not. By articulating gender theory, literature on public appointments, and social network analysis, this study refines the understanding of access to leadership in the federal bureaucracy, positioning the relational dimension as a relevant analytical category. Beyond its theoretical contribution, the findings offer insights for public human resource policies and institutional initiatives aimed at promoting gender equity within the Brazilian state.

Ficha do documento

Tipo

Dissertação

Ano

2026

Instituição

Fundação Getulio Vargas

Fonte

Repositório da FGV

Idioma

Português

Acesso

Acesso aberto

Identificador

oai:repositorio.fgv.br:10438/38820

Temas

Gestão PúblicaPolíticas PúblicasAdministração Pública

Palavras-chave

Análise de redes sociaisCapital socialAscensão femininaNomeações públicasLiderançaBurocracia federalEPPGGSocial network analysisSocial capitalWomen’s advancementPublic appointmentsLeadershipFederal bureaucracyAdministração públicaRedes sociaisLiderança em mulheresCapital social (Sociologia)Servidores públicos - NomeaçãoBurocracia