Brincadeira de boneca: um estudo sobre o trabalho infantil à luz das questões de gênero

Abstract

Child and adolescent labor is a practice that has been vehemently opposed by the international community, and for this reason, in recent years, organizations and states have committed themselves to eradicating child and adolescent labor. However, for generations, the work of boys and girls was justified by morals and good manners, which allowed these activities to be socially accepted and even encouraged to a certain extent. Added to this is patriarchy, which, reverberating throughout history, is responsible for subjecting women and children to the command of the male figure, who culturally personifies the "head of the family. In this sense, the present research has as its object of analysis the relations of child labor with gender issues, addressing the relationship between patriarchy and the perpetuation of disparate opportunities for boys and girls. In any case, it is important to consider the reality of underdeveloped countries and how socioeconomic conditions increase the vulnerability of certain families, making it possible for children and adolescents to be affected by early work. At this conjuncture, Brazil, a developing country, stands out in the global picture for the significant recurrence of the problem of child labor. Thus, the present study is justified by the urgent need to investigate the causes and consequences of child labor, particularly from a gender perspective, in order to map early services that traditionally affect girls. Thus, based on the hypothesis that there is an imperious sexual division of labor that has repercussions in disparate opportunities between the genders, we aim to understand how the assignment of typically female activities contributes to cycles of female submission. To this end, using mainly the hypothetical-deductive method, this theoretical research with expository inquiry establishes parallels between child labor and intergenerational cycles of female undervaluation. Thus, this paper brings together findings on the female situation in domestic service, specifically ascertaining a Brazilian culture of working girls in the home.