Gender and health care in the First Lady Sarah Kubitschek’s trajectory

Abstract

Assistance to the needy has historically been marked by the action of women. In Brazil, institutions were founded and commanded by the first ladies of the Republic, such as Sarah Kubitschek and the Fundação Pioneiras Sociais, whose main attention was in public health care, especially women’s health. The analysis of Sarah Kubistchek's assistance activities, the central objective of this text, allows reflection on the social and political roles of the First Lady, as well as the approximations between delimited gender roles, the performance in assistance and the management of political capital.