Public Management and Gender: women experiences in entering and occupying positions in a Brazilian city

Abstract Although there are shared experiences of women's lives, they are distinct considering the socio-cultural profile of a given location. From this perspective, research considering gender and management are limited in the Brazilian context. This article seeks to investigate women experiences in entering and occupying public management positions in a Brazilian city. This is a qualitative and exploratory research. Women who work in public management leadership positions were interviewed. The data were analyzed through interpretative analysis developed with the support of the NVivo®11 software. Women remain underrepresented in city management compared to the number of men who occupy the same positions and there is a clear gender gap. The results also highlight discriminatory practices, gender bias and cultural barriers. The research provides relevant insights into the relationship between gender and public management, it also reinforces the literature, since the findings are added to further researches to reveal the female performance challenges in public management. It proposes that still remains the challenge to change organizational and social attitudes.