The gesture towards female voters comes at a time when the president is under pressure to appoint a woman to fill the vacancy left by Minister Luís Roberto Barroso on the Supreme Federal Court (STF). The statement was made during a meeting with students from popular preparatory schools in São Bernardo do Campo, in the ABC region of São Paulo.
In his political stronghold, Lula arrived in a red shirt and a Panama hat and was applauded by his supporters. A significant portion of the 22-minute speech was dedicated to women. With him were the Ministers of Education, Camilo Santana, Finance, Fernando Haddad, Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, and Labor and Employment, Luiz Marinho.
‘A girl, or a woman… A profession for her is almost a sacred thing. Because, for a woman, a profession means independence. A woman cannot live with someone behind a plate of food. She cannot support her husband just because he pays the rent. A woman has to live with other people if she wants to. Therefore, she must be treated with respect, with dignity. If she has a profession, no one will try to mess around with her,’ he said.
The president also emphasized that violence against women has been increasing in Brazil. He mentioned that his mother, who died illiterate, always taught him never to raise a finger at a partner.
‘A man who hits a woman is not a man. Because a woman cannot be a man’s punching bag,’ he defended.
The meeting had a campaign atmosphere and brought together supporters from various locations in the state of São Paulo, as well as Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. Before the president’s arrival, the host led a ‘wave’ through the microphone, encouraged the audience to turn on their phone flashlights, and repeated slogans.
Students preparing for the National High School Examination (Enem) 2025, educators, and coordinators of popular preparatory schools filled the Adib Moysés Dib Sports Gymnasium, with a capacity for 7,200 people.
During the event, Lula advocated for the universalization of ‘Pé-de-Meia,’ a government financial incentive program for public high school students.
‘It’s tough, Faria Lima will complain, the market will complain. But we’re not spending, we’re investing in the survival of our youth,’ the president affirmed.
Lula said he is obsessed with education because he did not obtain a diploma throughout his journey. He stated that he does not want Brazil to export only ‘corn, soybeans, and iron ore,’ but rather knowledge.
‘We approved Pé-de-Meia because we found out that 480,000 young people were dropping out of high school to help with the family budget. And a government that allows this to happen is not a government,’ Lula emphasized.
During the event, Lula and his Education and Finance ministers signed a commitment to open a new notice to support up to 500 popular preparatory schools in 2026. The estimated investment is R$108 million.
The agenda is aimed at the 2026 presidential election. In an eight-day interval, this is the second event that President Lula has scheduled in the state governed by one of his likely opponents in the race for the Planalto Palace: Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans).
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