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Brazilian women advance conditions for rural workers (Margaridas' march), 2000

Summary

In August 2000, thousands of rural women workers, known as the Margaridas or Daisies, marched in Brasília, Brazil, to demand women’s rights, wage equality, and land distribution for family agriculture. The march built on the legacy of assassinated union leader Margarida Maria Alves and aimed to pressure the government for policies favoring women and rural workers. President Dilma Rousseff responded by agreeing to establish health facilities, safety centers, and finance family farms, achieving five out of six specific demands. [source: nv-database]

Tactics used

Tactics used

Background

Rural women workers in Brazil faced gender inequality, poverty, and lack of political recognition. Inspired by Margarida Maria Alves, a union leader assassinated in 1983 for her advocacy, the Margaridas formed to demand women’s rights, wage equality, and land distribution for family agriculture. Their target was the newly elected socialist President Dilma Rousseff, whom they expected to be sympathetic. [source: nv-database]

What happened

Women began traveling to Brasília days before the march, some taking four days to arrive from across the country. [source: nv-database] They built a ‘City of the Daisies’ where they held forums to discuss and vote on 150 demands to present to the President. [source: nv-database] On 16 August 2000, they marched through Brasília wearing purple shirts and straw hats, carrying signs and banners, and singing songs like ‘We are all daisies!’ The marching and campaigning continued the next day. [source: nv-database] On 18 August, President Dilma Rousseff addressed the list of demands by agreeing to establish 16 floating health facilities in forest-rivers, 10 centers to enforce workplace safety standards by 2012, finance more family-owned farms, and create a national program on sustainable agriculture for women in rural communities. [source: nv-database] The march encouraged women to engage in political activity and projected them as protagonists in federal politics. [source: nv-database]

Key people & organizations

  • Maria Luiza de Santos
  • National Confederation of Agricultural Workers
  • Central Unit of Workers
  • World Women’s March
  • Fishers of Arari Waterfalls
  • ActionAid
  • Kelly Cristina Concalves
  • Congresswoman Rejane Pitanga
  • President Dilma Rousseff
  • Margarida Maria Alves

Outcome

Verdict: won.

The campaign achieved five out of six specific demands, including health facilities, safety centers, and support for family farms, as President Rousseff immediately agreed to several key items. The movement also gained visibility and encouraged women’s political engagement, though full gender equality and land distribution remained ongoing struggles. [source: nv-database]

Lessons

  • Building a temporary community (like the ‘City of the Daisies’) before a march can strengthen internal democracy and unity.
  • Using symbolic colors and costumes helps create a visually cohesive and memorable protest identity.
  • Targeting a sympathetic leader with a clear list of demands can lead to quick concessions.

Sources

Disclaimer: Included as a teaching example of campaign craft, not as endorsement.

Sources & verification

  • nv-database — grounding: primary — license: link-only
  • Rewritten: 2026-07-04 via worker_casestudies_v2.py

Last verified: 2026-07-09