Por entre labirintos: as barreiras e os desafios vivenciados pelas estudantes assistidas pelo programa de assistência estudantil dos cursos de engenharia da Universidade Tecnológica Federal Do Paraná - campus Curitiba

Abstract

This thesis aims to analyze the barriers and challenges experienced by students of Engineering courses at the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR) Campus Curitiba assisted by the Student Assistance Program, in the housing modality. Regarding the methodology used, it is a exploratory research with a mixed method. Data collected in the institution’s Academic System reveal that female students correspond to 18.73% of total regular enrollments in Engineering courses at Campus Curitiba, in 2021. Qualitative data were obtained through electronic questionnaires, with open and closed questions. Crystal labyrinth is a concept by which the obstacles encountered by women exist simply because they belong to the category of women, being arranged throughout their academic trajectories and even before, in the choice of the area of activity (LIMA, 2013). The trajectories of women in scientific and technological careers have been marked by exclusion and invisibility. Gender inequalities and discrimination in Engineering courses are revealed as a reflection of the sexual division of labor. Student Assistance Programs were implemented, as of Law no. 10,172, of January 9, 2001, and Decree no. 7,234, of July 19, 2010, with the aim of supporting the maintenance of students with lower purchasing power in higher education, to reduce inequalities in opportunities arising from social vulnerability. One of the results obtained in the research is that the Student Assistance Program is considered fundamental for the permanence of students in Engineering courses at UTFPR, particularly in the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. Another outstanding result is that the participants demonstrate that they face gender, race and class inequalities, experiencing prejudice and violence simply because they are women.