Brasília,7/16/2004(Agência Brasil) - Poverty is young, female and uneducated. In Brazil there are more poor women than men (52% to 48%). But at the same time, nowadays 30% of Brazilian households are run by women.

The Special Secretary for Policies for Women, Nilcéa Freire, explains that throughout history women have been victims of prejudice and discrimination. They have simply not had opportunities. And when you add other social variants, such as the woman being Negro, it means only a place at the bottom of the social pyramid where the suffering is greater as the population in general gets poorer.

The secretary explained that the fight against inequality because of sex or race cannot be waged only through general policies, such as economic growth to create jobs and income. "It is necessary to work within general policies on specific problems in order to achieve equality. Today it is unimaginable to seek sustainable economic growth without the talent, effort and determination of 52% of the population - its women," declared the secretary.

Translator: Allen Bennett