The participation of the women in the direction of the unions, including Agricultural Workers, has increased in recent years. Until the 80's, the agricultural syndical movement, specially male, did not accept women associates. Nowadays, women are occupying positions in the executive directory but it does not mean that the unions have changed its pratical discriminatory. This paper presents an analysis concernig gender and power, i.e., a relation between men and women leadership in the west of Santa Catarina State. In spite of improving their participation in the unions and to be established by CUT that 30% of the minimum quota should be women, there are not enough women in the directory positions. They are effectly ocuppying administrative positions or they do not participate equally since the union did not improve its discriminatory participation. It is a frequently war to combine class claims and the search of equality and power gender. Sometimes, they have to choose one claim.
gender; syndicalism; empowerment