Os significados do trabalho nas trajetórias de pessoas transgêneras

Abstract

Transgender people (also called trans people), those who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth due to their biological sex, are the most marginalized, violated and excluded group within the LGBTIA+ population (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgenders, Intersex, Asexuals and other designations). In the world of work, this group faces denial of access to the formal market and compulsory insertion into prostitution and underemployment. Even in the face of the exclusion faced in the world of work, there are indications in the literature that work can be perceived as a source of autonomy, social inclusion, social rights, and identity reaffirmation. In view of this diversity of perceptions and representations, the goal of this research was to investigate the process of meaning of work in the experiences of trans people. From a theoretical and methodological point of view, we investigated the meanings of work from a semiotic-based cultural-historical perspective, using in-depth interviews focused on the life and work stories of the five protagonists interviewed as part of the study, two (2) trans women, two (2) trans men, and one (1) non-binary person. First, a semiotic mapping of the process of meaning of work in the trajectories of the protagonists was carried out. The results of this first stage of analysis pointed out that, from a cultural perspective, work was meant simultaneously as a source of exclusion and interdictions (especially in informality), and, in the face of the expectation of insertion in formality, as a way of inclusion and guarantee of rights. From the personal point of view, the main meanings were, first, that of work as an avenue of protection against the violations and interdictions faced by transgender people in our society. Second, came personal meanings that understand work as a source of recognition, identity distinction, and social validation. Next, a semiotic characterization of the meaning of work in the experiences of transgender people was carried out, based on the convergences and trends identified among the investigated trajectories. In this characterization, we highlighted: a) the impact of the experience of transphobia situations in family, social, and work contexts as determinants for the early insertion of trans people in the world of work; b) the concrete experiences, expectations, and desires of trans people regarding the insertion in different work arrangements as mediating elements for the construction of meanings, and c) different semiotic functions played by the meanings of work in the lives of trans people, especially those of promoting adaptation to the difficulties faced and mitigate their subjective impacts on the trajectories. Finally, we identified thematic nuclei of meaning that appeared transversally in the analyzed trajectories. These cores were then discussed based on the literature about the work of the trans population, and social, economic, and cultural determinants, especially in the light of the reflections proposed by Work Psychology, by Cultural-Historical Psychology with a semiotic basis, and by Brazilian Transfeminism. By deepening the understanding of the meanings produced by trans people about work, we sought to offer academic contributions on the subject and subsidies that can contribute to policies and affirmative actions aimed at this group, especially with regard to social inclusion through work.