The First Lady officially has no role other than hostess at Palácio da Alvorada, but tends to be involved in social causes.
A First ladyin the case of Brazil, is nothing more than the hostess of the Palácio da Alvorada, the official presidential residence and of course, the wife of the acting president. Therefore, theoretically she does not have any pre-established role of her own, and therefore, she is not entitled to receive any type of salary.
However, even if officially she does not have any role, especially because it is not possible to have a position if she was not elected, it has become a tradition for presidents’ wives to engage in social programs and charitable and voluntary actions.
In fact, the figure of the first lady is inspired by the republican traditions of countries such as the United States and France. And despite having its historical variations, there is a profile very similar to ours.
The first first lady of Brazil was Dona Mariana da Fonseca, wife of Deodoro da Fonseca, the first president of our country. Currently, the title belongs to Rosângela Lula da Silva, Janja, wife of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
What is the First Lady?
Firstly, the country’s so-called first lady is the wife of the sitting president. In this way, she receives the title of hostess of the Palácio da Alvorada, which is where the president resides. So, officially the president’s wife does not have any pre-established job or role.
But this does not prevent the first lady from being present in the political and social life of the country, which is what we are currently experiencing. Today, the person in the position is Janja Silva, a position that was previously occupied by Michelle Bolsonaro, Marcela Temer, Marisa Letícia, Ruth Cardoso and Rosane Collor.
Does the first lady have any role?
In addition to hosting the presidential residence, officially. Because, as we explained above, there is no way to assume a position with a political function without having been elected by the people.
However, a few years ago all the presidents’ wives, or at least most of them, took part in some social work aimed at specific causes.
For example, former first lady Michele Bolsonaro who did work linked to the social inclusion of people with disabilities. She was even the first president’s wife to speak in the Planalto Palace parlor, at the presidential inauguration, in 2019.
First ladies’ relationship with social work
In fact, this tendency for first ladies to become actively involved in social work began in 1942, with Darcy Vargas, wife of then president Getúlio Vargas. At the time, Darcy founded the Brazilian Assistance Legion, the LBA, which aimed to provide support to the families of soldiers who were sent to the Second World War.
The foundation operated using resources donated by businesspeople. And the LBA’s social work was extended to each of the country’s states, which then became the responsibility of the state first ladies. Finally, when the war ended, the organization remained active, and began to serve poor families, maintaining the tradition of being managed by the governors’ wives.
Among the last first ladies, we had Michelle Bolsonaro actively working on causes for people with disabilities, Marcela Temer was an ambassador for the Criança Feliz program. Marisa Letícia, however, was not directly involved with any social cause of this type, but was still very active in her husband’s political campaigns.
Origin of the post of first lady
This post given to the wife of the president of the republic, as previously stated, is inspired by the French and North American model. Therefore, even with some circumstantial differences, the title has a very similar profile in the three countries.
So, technically the first woman to receive the title of First Lady of Brazil was Mariana da Fonseca. She was the wife of the first president of Brazil, Deodoro da Fonseca, who was in office between 1880 and 1891. However, since then, this role has changed and evolved a lot.
Initially the first lady was just the hostess of the palace, however, over time, the presidents’ wives began to become more actively involved in political campaigns and social causes. In addition to representing the chief executive in official ceremonies.
And more than that, the first ladies began to have a lot of influence, going far beyond fashion choices, to their opinions on political issues, playing a truly relevant role in the work of the country’s president.
In fact, out of curiosity, all the first ladies of Brazil are called Donas, due to their respect for the president’s wife.
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Sources: Elections Uol Jota Adventures in History Super Interesting
