Women Who Transform: A Study on Female Leadership in Volunteer Associations on the Coast of Paraná – Brazil

Female leadership in Brazil has been gaining ground in several areas of society, especially when related to social issues. Recent data show that almost half of the leadership positions in this type of organization are held by women. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the occurrence of female leadership in social associations for women on the Coast of Paraná, Brazil, in communities in situations of socioeconomic vulnerability. A descriptive, exploratory study with qualitative nature was conducted with 10 female leaders on the Coast of Paraná. The results of the research revealed that most female leaders do not have formal support from government institutions, and that partnerships with institutions and other leaders are the main resources and agents of transformation. The main factors attributed to this resilience are the love of volunteering, persistence, and the dissemination of activities that generates visibility in the media and helps new volunteers to come to the associations. The services offered by these organizations are entirely free, provided close to the houses of the women benefiting from them and have a positive impact on the access to education, employment opportunities, medical care and increased income for these women, promoting a more promising future outlook.