Retratos do cotidiano: as mulheres do assentamento rural Santa Vitória

The present work shows trajectories of life of seated women agricultural, with the objective to apprehend on aspects to the experience of its sexuality. The daily one of the seated woman is constructed in a new space, called agricultural nesting whose formation if presents with proper singularity to a social and economic context and politician of the Great River of the North. Its passages of life are permeaty by different violences suffered in its daily one and its sexuality is weaveeed by a set of rules that the naturalization of the subordination of the woman in relation to the man keeps. The societies use the systems of the relations between men and women and transform the biological characteristic into activities human beings

The Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: A Perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2015-2016

In this, the sixth in the series of documents entitled “Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas,” the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) analyze the trends in, and outlook for, the macroeconomic and sectoral contexts, agriculture, rural well-being, and policies and the institutional framework in the sector. The document presents proposals for policies needed to enable the region’s agriculture to regain its former buoyancy and to enhance the development of rural areas. It also includes recommendations designed to mitigate the impact of the economic slowdown in agriculture, spur higher agricultural productivity in the region, foster the integrated management of natural resources, and facilitate the successful incorporation of family farmers, young people, and rural women into agricultural value chains.

Prevalência de infecção genital pelo HPV em populações urbana e rural da Amazônia Oriental Brasileira

Foram investigados a prevalência e os fatores associados à infecção genital pelo HPV em mulheres de população urbana e rural de duas regiões da Amazônia Oriental brasileira. Foi um estudo transversal com 444 mulheres submetidas ao rastreamento para câncer cervical, sendo 233 urbanas e 211 rurais, de janeiro de 2008 a março de 2010. Coletaram-se amostras da cérvice uterina para a pesquisa de DNA do HPV pela PCR. Todas responderam a um formulário epidemiológico. Análise bivariada e por regressão logística foram empregadas na investigação dos fatores associados ao HPV. A prevalência geral de HPV foi de 14,6%. Entre as populações, não houve diferença significativa, 15% urbana e 14,2% rural. O único fator de risco explorado no estudo significativamente associado ao HPV foi a situação conjugal de mulheres residentes na zona rural na faixa de 13 a 25 anos, com maior prevalência de infecção entre solteiras, separadas ou viúvas. Conclui-se que, apesar das prevalências entre as populações serem semelhantes, as estratégias preventivas a serem aplicadas seriam específicas para cada população.

Musculoskeletal reported symptoms among aircraft assembly workers: a multifactorial approach

The aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with reported work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among aircraft assembly workers. Population consisted of 552 (491 men/61 women) workers who performed tasks related to the work of aircraft assembly. Participants completed a comprehensive questionnaire, including socio-demographic information, habits/lifestyles, working conditions, and work organization. Workers also answered the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire to obtain data on musculoskeletal symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to analyze factors associated with musculoskeletal reported symptoms. Results showed that body regions with the highest prevalence of reported musculoskeletal symptoms were similar when referred the past twelve months and the past seven days. Significant factors associated with musculoskeletal symptoms included variables related to conflicts at work, sleep problems, mental fatigue, and lack of time for personal care and recovery. Working time in the industry was associated only with reports for the last seven days and regular physical activity off-work seems to be a positive factor in preventing musculoskeletal symptoms for the past twelve months. The results highlight the multi-factorial nature of the problem. Actions to prevent musculoskeletal diseases at the aircraft assembly work should consider multiple interventions that would promote better recovery between work shifts.

"Water users must be efficient producers". Women's access to and use of land in Chókwè irrigation scheme, Mozambique

The irrigation scheme Eduardo Mondlane, situated in Chókwè District - in the Southern part of the Gaza province and within the Limpopo River Basin - is the largest in the country, covering approximately 30,000 hectares of land. Built by the Portuguese colonial administration in the 1950s to exploit the agricultural potential of the area through cash-cropping, after Independence it became one of Frelimo’s flagship projects aiming at the “socialization of the countryside” and at agricultural economic development through the creation of a state farm and of several cooperatives. The failure of Frelimo’s economic reforms, several infrastructural constraints and local farmers resistance to collective forms of production led to scheme to a state of severe degradation aggravated by the floods of the year 2000. A project of technical rehabilitation initiated after the floods is currently accompanied by a strong “efficiency” discourse from the managing institution that strongly opposes the use of irrigated land for subsistence agriculture, historically a major livelihood strategy for smallfarmers, particularly for women. In fact, the area has been characterized, since the end of the XIX century, by a stable pattern of male migration towards South African mines, that has resulted in an a steady increase of women-headed households (both de jure and de facto). The relationship between land reform, agricultural development, poverty alleviation and gender equality in Southern Africa is long debated in academic literature. Within this debate, the role of agricultural activities in irrigation schemes is particularly interesting considering that, in a drought-prone area, having access to water for irrigation means increased possibilities of improving food and livelihood security, and income levels. In the case of Chókwè, local governments institutions are endorsing the development of commercial agriculture through initiatives such as partnerships with international cooperation agencies or joint-ventures with private investors. While these business models can sometimes lead to positive outcomes in terms of poverty alleviation, it is important to recognize that decentralization and neoliberal reforms occur in the context of financial and political crisis of the State that lacks the resources to efficiently manage infrastructures such as irrigation systems. This kind of institutional and economic reforms risk accelerating processes of social and economic marginalisation, including landlessness, in particular for poor rural women that mainly use irrigated land for subsistence production. The study combines an analysis of the historical and geographical context with the study of relevant literature and original fieldwork. Fieldwork was conducted between February and June 2007 (where I mainly collected secondary data, maps and statistics and conducted preliminary visit to Chókwè) and from October 2007 to March 2008. Fieldwork methodology was qualitative and used semi-structured interviews with central and local Government officials, technical experts of the irrigation scheme, civil society organisations, international NGOs, rural extensionists, and water users from the irrigation scheme, in particular those women smallfarmers members of local farmers’ associations. Thanks to the collaboration with the Union of Farmers’ Associations of Chókwè, she has been able to participate to members’ meeting, to education and training activities addressed to women farmers members of the Union and to organize a group discussion. In Chókwè irrigation scheme, women account for the 32% of water users of the familiar sector (comprising plot-holders with less than 5 hectares of land) and for just 5% of the private sector. If one considers farmers’ associations of the familiar sector (a legacy of Frelimo’s cooperatives), women are 84% of total members. However, the security given to them by the land title that they have acquired through occupation is severely endangered by the use that they make of land, that is considered as “non efficient” by the irrigation scheme authority. Due to a reduced access to marketing possibilities and to inputs, training, information and credit women, in actual fact, risk to see their right to access land and water revoked because they are not able to sustain the increasing cost of the water fee. The myth of the “efficient producer” does not take into consideration the characteristics of inequality and gender discrimination of the neo-liberal market. Expecting small-farmers, and in particular women, to be able to compete in the globalized agricultural market seems unrealistic, and can perpetuate unequal gendered access to resources such as land and water.

Past is Prologue: Montana’s Historic Women’s Movement Re-emerges in the Progressive 1970s -- Dorothy Bradley, Marilyn Wessel & Jane Jelinski “In the Crucible of Change”

One-hundred years ago, in 1914, male voters in Montana (MT) extended suffrage (voting rights) to women six years before the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified and provided that right to women in all states. The long struggle for women’s suffrage was energized in the progressive era and Jeanette Rankin of Missoula emerged as a leader of the campaign; in 1912 both major MT political party platforms supported women suffrage. In the 1914 election, 41,000 male voters supported woman suffrage while nearly 38,000 opposed it. MT was not only ahead of the curve on women suffrage, but just two years later in 1916 elected Jeanette Rankin as the first woman ever elected to the United States Congress. Rankin became a national leader for women's equality. In her commitment to equality, she opposed US entry into World War I, partially because she said she could not support men being made to go to war if women were not allowed to serve alongside them. During MT’s initial progressive era, women in MT not only pursued equality for themselves (the MT Legislature passed an equal pay act in 1919), but pursued other social improvements, such as temperance/prohibition. Well-known national women leaders such as Carrie Nation and others found a welcome in MT during the period. Women's role in the trade union movement was evidenced in MT by the creation of the Women's Protective Union in Butte, the first union in America dedicated solely to women workers. But Rankin’s defeat following her vote against World War I was used as a way for opponents to advocate a conservative, traditionalist perspective on women's rights in MT. Just as we then entered a period in MT where the “copper collar” was tightened around MT economically and politically by the Anaconda Company and its allies, we also found a different kind of conservative, traditionalist collar tightened around the necks of MT women. The recognition of women's role during World War II, represented by “Rosie the Riveter,” made it more difficult for that conservative, traditionalist approach to be forever maintained. In addition, women's role in MT agriculture – family farms and ranches -- spoke strongly to the concept of equality, as farm wives were clearly active partners in the agricultural enterprises. But rural MT was, by and large, the bastion of conservative values relative to the position of women in society. As the period of “In the Crucible of Change” began, the 1965 MT Legislature included only three women. In 1967 and 1969 only one woman legislator served. In 1971 the number went up to two, including one of our guests, Dorothy Bradley. It was only after the Constitutional Convention, which featured 19 women delegates, that the barrier was broken. The 1973 Legislature saw 9 women elected. The 1975 and 1977 sessions had 14 women legislators; 15 were elected for the 1979 session. At that time progressive women and men in the Legislature helped implement the equality provisions of the new MT Constitution, ratified the federal Equal Rights Amendment in 1974, and held back national and local conservatives forces which sought in later Legislatures to repeal that ratification. As with the national movement at the time, MT women sought and often succeeded in adopting legal mechanisms that protected women’s equality, while full equality in the external world remained (and remains) a treasured objective. The story of the re-emergence of Montana’s women’s movement in the 1970s is discussed in this chapter by three very successful and prominent women who were directly involved in the effort: Dorothy Bradley, Marilyn Wessel, and Jane Jelinski. Their recollections of the political, sociological and cultural path Montana women pursued in the 1970s and the challenges and opposition they faced provide an insider’s perspective of the battle for equality for women under the Big Sky “In the Crucible of Change.” Dorothy Bradley grew up in Bozeman, Montana; received her Bachelor of Arts Phi Beta Kappa from Colorado College, Colorado Springs, in 1969 with a Distinction in Anthropology; and her Juris Doctor from American University in Washington, D.C., in 1983. In 1970, at the age of 22, following the first Earth Day and running on an environmental platform, Ms. Bradley won a seat in the 1971 Montana House of Representatives where she served as the youngest member and only woman. Bradley established a record of achievement on environmental & progressive legislation for four terms, before giving up the seat to run a strong second to Pat Williams for the Democratic nomination for an open seat in Montana’s Western Congressional District. After becoming an attorney and an expert on water law, she returned to the Legislature for 4 more terms in the mid-to-late 1980s. Serving a total of eight terms, Dorothy was known for her leadership on natural resources, tax reform, economic development, and other difficult issues during which time she gained recognition for her consensus-building approach. Campaigning by riding her horse across the state, Dorothy was the Democratic nominee for Governor in 1992, losing the race by less than a percentage point. In 1993 she briefly taught at a small rural school next to the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. She was then hired as the Director of the Montana University System Water Center, an education and research arm of Montana State University. From 2000 - 2008 she served as the first Gallatin County Court Administrator with the task of collaboratively redesigning the criminal justice system. She currently serves on One Montana’s Board, is a National Advisor for the American Prairie Foundation, and is on NorthWestern Energy’s Board of Directors. Dorothy was recognized with an Honorary Doctorate from her alma mater, Colorado College, was named Business Woman of the Year by the Bozeman Chamber of Commerce and MSU Alumni Association, and was Montana Business and Professional Women’s Montana Woman of Achievement. Marilyn Wessel was born in Iowa, lived and worked in Los Angeles, California, and Washington, D.C. before moving to Bozeman in 1972. She has an undergraduate degree in journalism from Iowa State University, graduate degree in public administration from Montana State University, certification from the Harvard University Institute for Education Management, and served a senior internship with the U.S. Congress, Montana delegation. In Montana Marilyn has served in a number of professional positions, including part-time editor for the Montana Cooperative Extension Service, News Director for KBMN Radio, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications at Montana State University, Director of University Relations at Montana State University and Dean and Director of the Museum of the Rockies at MSU. Marilyn retired from MSU as Dean Emeritus in 2003. Her past Board Service includes Montana State Merit System Council, Montana Ambassadors, Vigilante Theater Company, Montana State Commission on Practice, Museum of the Rockies, Helena Branch of the Ninth District Federal Reserve Bank, Burton K. Wheeler Center for Public Policy, Bozeman Chamber of Commerce, and Friends of KUSM Public Television. Marilyn’s past publications and productions include several articles on communications and public administration issues as well as research, script preparation and presentation of several radio documentaries and several public television programs. She is co-author of one book, 4-H An American Idea: A History of 4-H. Marilyn’s other past volunteer activities and organizations include Business and Professional Women, Women's Political Caucus, League of Women Voters, and numerous political campaigns. She is currently engaged professionally in museum-related consulting and part-time teaching at Montana State University as well as serving on the Editorial Board of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and a member of Pilgrim Congregational Church and Family Promise. Marilyn and her husband Tom, a retired MSU professor, live in Bozeman. She enjoys time with her children and grandchildren, hiking, golf, Italian studies, cooking, gardening and travel. Jane Jelinski is a Wisconsin native, with a BA from Fontbonne College in St. Louis, MO who taught fifth and seventh grades prior to moving to Bozeman in 1973. A stay-at-home mom with a five year old daughter and an infant son, she was promptly recruited by the Gallatin Women’s Political Caucus to conduct a study of Sex-Role Stereotyping in K Through 6 Reading Text Books in the Bozeman School District. Sociologist Dr. Louise Hale designed the study and did the statistical analysis and Jane read all the texts, entered the data and wrote the report. It was widely disseminated across Montana and received attention of the press. Her next venture into community activism was to lead the successful effort to downzone her neighborhood which was under threat of encroaching business development. Today the neighborhood enjoys the protections of a Historic Preservation District. During this time she earned her MPA from Montana State University. Subsequently Jane founded the Gallatin Advocacy Program for Developmentally Disabled Adults in 1978 and served as its Executive Director until her appointment to the Gallatin County Commission in 1984, a controversial appointment which she chronicled in the Fall issue of the Gallatin History Museum Quarterly. Copies of the issue can be ordered through: http://gallatinhistorymuseum.org/the-museum-bookstore/shop/. Jane was re-elected three times as County Commissioner, serving fourteen years. She was active in the Montana Association of Counties (MACO) and was elected its President in 1994. She was also active in the National Association of Counties, serving on numerous policy committees. In 1998 Jane resigned from the County Commission 6 months before the end of her final term to accept the position of Assistant Director of MACO, from where she lobbied for counties, provided training and research for county officials, and published a monthly newsletter. In 2001 she became Director of the MSU Local Government Center where she continued to provide training and research for county and municipal officials across MT. There she initiated the Montana Mayors Academy in partnership with MMIA. She taught State and Local Government, Montana Politics and Public Administration in the MSU Political Science Department before retiring in 2008. Jane has been married to Jack for 46 years, has two grown children and three grandchildren.

Ciudadanía y género en el mundo rural : El caso de la Unión de Mujeres de la Argentina y las "campesinas" durante el peronismo (1943-1955)

En este trabajo nos proponemos analizar por un lado cuáles fueron las interpretaciones que desde Nuestras Mujeres, revista de la Unión de Mujeres Argentinas, se hacen con respecto a las mujeres rurales y sus problemas durante el primer peronismo. En segundo lugar, intentaremos explicar el por qué la UMA intenta organizar a las mujeres rurales en su propio seno, y qué es lo que lleva a sus muy magros resultados. El análisis de la revista Nuestras Mujeres, conduce a la elaboración de algunas conclusiones con respecto a las mujeres rurales y la ciudadanía.

Ciudadanía y género en el mundo rural : El caso de la Unión de Mujeres de la Argentina y las "campesinas" durante el peronismo (1943-1955)

En este trabajo nos proponemos analizar por un lado cuáles fueron las interpretaciones que desde Nuestras Mujeres, revista de la Unión de Mujeres Argentinas, se hacen con respecto a las mujeres rurales y sus problemas durante el primer peronismo. En segundo lugar, intentaremos explicar el por qué la UMA intenta organizar a las mujeres rurales en su propio seno, y qué es lo que lleva a sus muy magros resultados. El análisis de la revista Nuestras Mujeres, conduce a la elaboración de algunas conclusiones con respecto a las mujeres rurales y la ciudadanía.

Ciudadanía y género en el mundo rural : El caso de la Unión de Mujeres de la Argentina y las "campesinas" durante el peronismo (1943-1955)

En este trabajo nos proponemos analizar por un lado cuáles fueron las interpretaciones que desde Nuestras Mujeres, revista de la Unión de Mujeres Argentinas, se hacen con respecto a las mujeres rurales y sus problemas durante el primer peronismo. En segundo lugar, intentaremos explicar el por qué la UMA intenta organizar a las mujeres rurales en su propio seno, y qué es lo que lleva a sus muy magros resultados. El análisis de la revista Nuestras Mujeres, conduce a la elaboración de algunas conclusiones con respecto a las mujeres rurales y la ciudadanía.

Women Of India: Developmental setbacks of gender inequity

This project examines rural Indian women and discusses the strong correlation between gender inequity and the setbacks that have crippled development. The embedded caste system has created a distinct social hierarchy, which has incidentally deprived women of their freedom and voice. Gender inequity and social stratification are direct causes of the AIDS epidemic, research revealing a contingency between lack of empowerment and exposure to the disease. Additionally, the HIV/AIDS virus carries a strong cultural stigma, which influences whether or not women will seek treatment if infected, since AIDS victims face extreme social isolation and discrimination, in India. This project discusses several cause-and-effect frameworks related to gender inequity, which have stunted the growth and success of India.

Report on special postwar problems of women claimants.

"June 1946."

A profile of middle-aged women who consult a chiropractor or osteopath: Findings from a survey of 11,143 Australian women

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of chiropractic and osteopathy use and the profile of chiropractor/osteopath users among middle-aged Australian women. Methods: This article reports on research conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The focus of this article is the middle-aged women who responded to Survey 3 in 2001 when they were between the ages of 50 and 55 years. The demographic characteristics, health status, and health service use of chiropractic/osteopathy users and nonusers were compared using chi(2) tests for categorical variables and t tests for continuous variables. Results: We estimate that 16% of middle-aged women consult with a chiropractor or osteopath (after adjustment for the oversampling of rural women). Area of residence, education, and employment status were all statistically significantly associated with chiropractic and osteopath use. Specifically, women who live in nonurban areas were more likely to consult a chiropractor or osteopath, compared with women who live in urban areas. Women are significantly more likely to consult with a chiropractor/osteopath if they have had a major personal injury in the previous year, and women who use chiropractic/osteopathy are also high users of 'conventional' health services. Conclusions: Chiropractic/osteopathy use among women in Australia is substantial and cannot be ignored by those providing or managing primary health care services for women. It is essential that the interface and communication between chiropractors/osteopaths and other health care providers be highlighted and maximized to establish and maintain effective overall patient coordination and management.

Produção de sentidos sobre a militância política de mulheres vinculadas ao MST/RN

Studies show that the theme of gender relations within the MST (Rural Landless Workers Movement) has incorporated some feminist guidelines discussions in the set of its speeches and daily practices. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the production of meanings about the political militancy of women linked to MST in Rio Grande do Norte. The specific objectives sought to identify the continuities and ruptures related to the women's role in the family of the militant women and to investigate the militant’s discursive positioning about their work. The study is configured as a qualitative research, which six women militants linked to the MST at the RN participated. These women occupy the coordination and leadership functions in the movement. We will use a semi-structured interview, initially guided by triggering questions that included, among others, the dimensions: political militancy, family and work as an access tool to the phenomenon. The reports were analyzed from an initial categorization, based on the guiding principles: militancy, family and work, and were based on theoretical perspective of studies about the production of meaning, discursive practices, social psychology and gender studies. The meanings of militancy point to: contribution, hope, recognition, transformation, awareness and fight. The results show that there is always a positivation speech of life, achievements of a formation and about a new place as a woman at stake. These results come justified by the collective investment of struggle, not only for the access to land, but for social rights achievements too. Finally, the MST stands with a discursive agency that contributes to produce in these women not only the way of political participation: but a way to be exercised with collective subjects and their rights.

Produção de sentidos sobre a militância política de mulheres vinculadas ao MST/RN

Studies show that the theme of gender relations within the MST (Rural Landless Workers Movement) has incorporated some feminist guidelines discussions in the set of its speeches and daily practices. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the production of meanings about the political militancy of women linked to MST in Rio Grande do Norte. The specific objectives sought to identify the continuities and ruptures related to the women's role in the family of the militant women and to investigate the militant’s discursive positioning about their work. The study is configured as a qualitative research, which six women militants linked to the MST at the RN participated. These women occupy the coordination and leadership functions in the movement. We will use a semi-structured interview, initially guided by triggering questions that included, among others, the dimensions: political militancy, family and work as an access tool to the phenomenon. The reports were analyzed from an initial categorization, based on the guiding principles: militancy, family and work, and were based on theoretical perspective of studies about the production of meaning, discursive practices, social psychology and gender studies. The meanings of militancy point to: contribution, hope, recognition, transformation, awareness and fight. The results show that there is always a positivation speech of life, achievements of a formation and about a new place as a woman at stake. These results come justified by the collective investment of struggle, not only for the access to land, but for social rights achievements too. Finally, the MST stands with a discursive agency that contributes to produce in these women not only the way of political participation: but a way to be exercised with collective subjects and their rights.

Prevalência de sintomas do climatério em mulheres dos meios rural e urbano no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

OBJETIVO: avaliar a sintomatologia climatérica e fatores relacionados entre mulheres dos meios urbano e rural do Rio Grande do Norte. MÉTODOS: estudo transversal, descritivo, envolvendo casuística de 261 mulheres climatéricas residentes em Natal e Mossoró (grupo urbano; n=130) e Uruaçu, em São Gonçalo do Amarante (grupo rural; n=131). A sintomatologia climatérica foi avaliada pelo Índice Menopausal de Blatt-Kupperman (IMBK) e Escala Climatérica de Greene (ECG). A análise estatística constou de comparações das medianas dos escores entre os grupos e regressão logística. Defi niram-se como “muito sintomáticas” as pacientes com escores ≥20, para ambos instrumentos (variável dependente). As variáveis independentes foram: idade, procedência, alfabetização, obesidade e prática de atividade física. RESULTADOS: o grupo urbano apresentou escores signifi cativamente superiores ao grupo rural, tanto para o IMBK (medianas de 26,0 e 17,0, respectivamente; p<0,0001), quanto para a ECG (medianas de 27,0 e 16,0, respectivamente; p<0,0001). Na amostra total, evidenciou-se que 56,3% (n=147) das mulheres foram classifi cadas como “muito sintomáticas”. Na comparação intergrupos, essa prevalência foi signifi cativamente mais elevada nas mulheres urbanas em relação às rurais (79,2 e 33,6%, respectivamente; p<0,05). Pela análise de regressão logística, evidenciou-se que a chance de pertencer ao grupo defi nido como “muito sintomáticas” foi maior para mulheres do meio urbano [odds ratio ajustado (OR)=7,1; 95% intervalo de confi ança a 95% (IC95%)=3,69-13,66] e alfabetizadas (OR=2,19; IC95%=1,16-4,13). A idade superior a 60 anos associou-se com menor chance de ocorrência de sintomas signifi cativos (OR=0,38; IC95%=0,17-0,87). CONCLUSÕES: a prevalência de sintomas climatéricos signifi cativos é menor em mulheres do meio rural, demonstrando que fatores socioculturais e ambientais estão fortemente relacionados ao surgimento dos sintomas climatéricos em nossa população.___________________________________ABSTRACT PURPOSE: to evaluate climacteric symptoms and related factors in women living in rural and urban areas of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. METHODS: a cross-sectional study involving 261 women in the climacteric was performed. A total of 130 women from Natal and Mossoró (urban group) and 131 from Uruaçu, in São Gonçalo do Amarante (rural group), were studied. Climacteric symptoms were assessed by the Blatt-Kupperman Menopausal Index (BKMI) and Greene Climacteric Scale (GCE). Statistical analysis involved comparison of median between groups and logistic regression analysis. Patients were defi ned as “very symptomatic” when the climacteric score was ≥20 for both questionnaires (dependent variable). Independent variables were: age, living area, schooling, obesity and physical activity. RESULTS: the urban group had signifi cantly higher scores than those of the rural group, both for BKMI (median of 26.0 and 17.0, respectively; p<0.0001) and for GCE (median of 27.0 and 16.0, respectively; p<0.0001). For the entire sample, a total of 56.3% (n=147) of the women were classifi ed as “very symptomatic”. This prevalence was signifi cantly higher in urban than in rural women (79.2 and 33.6%, respectively; p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the likelihood of belonging to the group defi ned as “very symptomatic” was greater for urban women [adjusted odds ratio (OR)=7.1; confi dence interval at 95% (95%CI)=3.69-13.66] who were literate (OR=2.19; 95%CI=1.16- 4.13). Individuals over the age of 60 years had less chance of having signifi cant symptoms (OR=0.38; 95%CI=0.17-0.87). CONCLUSIONS: the prevalence of signifi cant climacteric symptoms is less in women from a rural environment, showing that sociocultural and environmental factors are strongly related to the appearance of climacteric symptoms in our population