Gender mainstreaming in public policies in Rio Grande do Norte (2003-2021)

Abstract The article investigates the institutional conditions for gender mainstreaming in policies for women and the LGBTQIA+ population in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Norte (RN), regarding their (dis)connection with the Federal Government, from 2003 to 2021. Based on documents and interviews, we carried out process-tracing of the institutional conditions of these policies (entities and mechanisms) in RN, considering three coordination levels (intersectoral, participatory, and federative). The results indicate that the structuring of institutional conditions was marked by a combination of advances and discontinuities of which the ideological orientation of governments was the decisive factor. We did not identify a federative system of gender mainstreaming characterized by collaborative and dialogic dynamics between federative entities. When present, federative coordination favoured a top-down approach, mainly through induction. These findings point to the potential and limits of institutional conditions for gender mainstreaming in a sustainable fashion.