How is gender experienced in women’s prisons in Portugal?

This was the question that guided the research of anthropologist Vera Silva, from CRIA – based at the University of Coimbra – based on ethnographic work in women’s prisons.

Her doctoral thesis, *Gender Configurations in Women’s Prisons: Persistences, Continuities and Variations*, was awarded the 2026 Maria Lamas Prize, presented by the Municipality of Torres Novas in recognition of research on women, gender and equality.

The jury highlighted the ethnographic dimension of the work and its contribution to advancing research on women deprived of their liberty.

Understanding how gender is organised within prison contexts is relevant to reflecting on justice, rights and equality.