Quotas divide a lot while people don't understand what quotas are. When they understand that quotas are a transitional process to correct an inequality, you can't be against quotas. Brazil had 389 years of slavery. We suffered a delay because of that in every sense — social, economic, in unity, in everything. To remove this inequality, if you wait for meritocracy, as those against quotas say — meritocracy, meritocracy only works when the starting point is equal. When the starting point isn't equal, it's not fair. So quotas are a transitional process to correct an inequality. When a person understands that, they remove that limiting belief they have. So, Magazine Luiza — I discovered this very early on. Look, you always came back to this issue when quotas for people with disabilities came out a long time ago. When I saw that, despite being connected to people, to HR, I had never looked at people with disabilities, and then I learned that on that day I would be in favor of quotas.
We're not trying to take men's positions, we're just asking for 50%. It's not just a summit — it's a movement that will last until 2030, where we want to have 50% of women in senior positions. In the past year and a half, women have become much more visible. If you open the political landscape, there isn't one that isn't talking about women — most have women as vice presidents. First, I think it's about understanding that women make decisions about cars, television, and everything that's going to be bought. In other words, women are an economic decision-making power. I think they're starting to understand that. Second, I notice that in many places where I was the only woman, the role a woman plays alongside a man — she balances meetings, strategies, and everything else much more, because she's on the front line. I see much more support today than I saw when I started. So if there's a side that says women shouldn't vote, if there's this movement that isn't just in Brazil — it's global — I want to say it didn't start in Brazil. There is a movement that won't let women vote. The union of women today is much greater. Before doing the summit, I called all the main movements that reach out to women to be with us. So Ana Funderes will be with us, the main movements will be together, because it's not a cause of the Women of Brazil group, it's a cause of the women of Brazil. Thirteen years of Women of Brazil. In the last two years, we noticed that women were being much more noticed than before. So if we don't make this movement, we could go backward. The movement is to change the cycle.
I'm the only businesswoman in this corner here, and Magazine Luiza is getting beaten up, getting beaten up, getting bruised. Now these people have to live off the state. It's like a tick. It's no use saying 'get off the cow' — it'll eat leaves and die of hunger. So the left stays attached to power and they're united. Because if they lose the teat, which is the state, they die of hunger. Their union is fantastic, because regardless of what's said or not, even about me — we who have reason, because I've never joined a party, but since I was young I've had many causes and I feel like a protagonist to help Brazil — I think it's irresponsible to harm Magazine Luiza because of my position, right? Because of my democratic position. I have the right to defend causes. I didn't need to be defending them. So that makes me sadder when I'm attacked, which is rare. On the other hand, I will always have people who are against and in favor. I won't have unanimity, I don't expect that.
To tell you the truth, I've had proposals since I was 13 to be a protagonist for Brazil. The company has been among the best companies to work for for 30 years — you've never dropped out of the top five best companies to work for, even when the market isn't so good. So I have to keep doing what I believe in. I never asked anyone who works with me who they were going to vote for and I never pressured any vote. I wasn't invited to be Vice President Lula. But as you said, when it goes viral on social media, there's no point in denying it. But on the other hand, I've been elected for nine consecutive years by the public, by subscribers, as the leader with the greatest reputation in Brazil. There's no male or female leader who has been elected like that. So you have the costs and benefits of any position you take. I can't only have the benefits of a position I take. There's only one way — I do nothing, I stay quiet, I don't fight for anything. But I tell you, today if I had to start over, I would continue fighting for a business that has profit but also has purpose. Because I think that as you get older, having a group, having purpose — it keeps you younger, more full of life, more able to make a change. And they said women wouldn't vote for women. You'll see that this year there will be a change, you'll be surprised. Women will vote for women — it depends on which side you look at, right? Because in the past people didn't even talk about that. Today almost every party wants to have a woman. Why? Strategically, women bring votes. And in a democracy, what matters is votes.
It's a very controversial issue because, just as employees need rest, you can't reduce productivity — the country still needs more productivity. So I think what I've been saying is that this is a cause that needs to be discussed a lot among all segments and to listen, because I'm neither against nor in favor. I'm listening to the population, I can listen to the employees here and everything else, because it's their right to have time off too. For example, a woman who works six days a week barely spends time with her family. On the other hand, she needs to earn. It can't affect her salary, it can't affect the country's laws, and it can't affect productivity. How are we going to solve this equation? Only by talking, only by dialoguing to reach an agreement. I'm feeling that it's become more of a controversy between two sides, you know? Another controversy where they're not stopping to think — that's what I'm saying, everything is becoming controversial, everything is becoming yes or no. That's what this is, more of the same.
