BRASILIA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- A Ministry for Women will be set up to develop specific policies for women and to promote gender equality in Brazil, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday.

    The new ministry will take the work of the Special Secretariat of the Presidency on this issue and get greater budgetary allocation, Lula said at the opening of a seminar on the role of women in public institutions.

    Talking about the importance of women in the society, Lula said: "It's a cynical culture of the world that ignores the contribution of women who stop working to look after children."

    "In a country of the size of Brazil, ministries need to take care of people's lives," he added.

    Currently, the Lula government has 23 ministries and ten special secretariats connected to the presidency.

    The Women's Bureau was created soon after the Lula administration took office in January 2003. Nilcea Freire is its current chief.