Brazilian cooperatives ended 2025 with 29 million members, and women already represent 53% of the workforce of cooperatives, according to the 2026 Brazilian Cooperative Yearbook (AnuárioCoop), published by the OCB System in July of this year. Among the members, they represent about 42%. However, in decision-making bodies, the presence of women is still minority: in leadership and governance positions, the index falls to 22%, according to the data presented by the superintendent of the OCB System, Fabíola Motta, in July 2026. This distance between the base and the top is what the 13th National Cooperative Management Symposium (Singescoop) focuses on, which takes place from October 6 to 8, 2026, in a 100% online format, with the theme "Cooperate to empower: women's participation in cooperatives".
Promoted by the Bachelor's Degree in Cooperative Management and the Student Cooperative of the Polytechnic High School of UFSM (Cespol), the symposium brings together students, researchers, teachers, professionals and cooperative leaders for three nights of programming to discuss female leadership, inclusion, gender equality and the role of women in building more democratic, innovative and sustainable cooperatives.
"The 13th Singescoop is, above all, a space for meeting and exchange. It is a moment in which research approaches the reality of cooperatives and in which we can talk about important topics for the present and the future of cooperatives. In this edition, we also want to highlight the presence of women in management positions and their protagonism within cooperatives," says Professor Maríndia Brachak dos Santos, general coordinator of the event.
A journey built between the classroom and the cooperative sector
The Singescoop was born as an academic week, initiated by the students of the Cooperative Management course, still called the Cooperative Management Symposium (Simgescoop). "With it, the course coordination and professors were also able to approach the partner cooperatives. The intention was always to promote dialogue between researchers, the academic environment, the cooperative sector and the entities that represent them," recalls Professor Jaime Peixoto Stecca, member of the general coordination.
The turning point came when students working in cooperatives began taking colleagues to the debates, which were already bringing together directors and executives from the sector. In 2018, at the eighth edition, the event took on a national scope and launched the Forum of Cooperativism, with around 350 participants from states such as Bahia, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Tocantins. According to the coordination, in the online editions, the audience reached around 1,000 registered participants; in 2024, the 12th Singescoop, dedicated to the reconstruction of Rio Grande do Sul after the floods, exceeded 750 participants and selected 70 scientific works.
Program –During the night, the 13th Singescoop will bring together leaders from different branches of cooperativism, from the opening speech by Geane Ferreira, general manager of the National Service for Cooperativism Training in the Federal District (Sescoop/DF), to panels on women in high management andcasesof entrepreneurial women, ending with the awarding of the best works.
On Wednesday (7th) and Thursday (8th) afternoons, presentation sessions will feature expanded summaries andcasesIn eight thematic areas, ranging from associativity, finance and cooperative education to diversity, marketing and sustainability. This edition saw 100 submissions, a number that the organizers consider significant for an area that is still relatively unexplored and for an event held in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul.
The complete program and other information about the event can be found in the13th Singescoop website.
organizing committee of the 13th Singescoop