Social participation in the achievement of health policies to women in Brazil

This article analyzes the evolution of the participatory process in women's movements, especially those related to feminism, in the elaboration of health care policies to women in Brazil, from the 1970s until the present time. For this purpose, it is based on bibliography and on documentary analysis. The article determines the collaboration character that predominated in the beginning of the feminist movements' relations with State institutions, and their recent actions regarding institutionalized instances of social participation and control. It further underlines some changes in the political activism of these movements, formerly advocating comprehensive health care to women and approaching the complexity of the broad demands and needs, and subsequently shifting to the defense of a focused acting, essentially when it comes to reproductive rights matters. Parallel to the acknowledgement of several achievements, the author emphasizes the necessity of disseminating the debate over women's health care in every space available for dialogue between the Government and the civil society in order to re-politicize this debate and to strengthen women's demands.