MULHERES POBRES E CHEFES DE FAMÍLIA ANA LUCIA ... - UFRJ

ABSTRACT
Pacheco, Ana Lucia Paes de Barros.Mulheres pobres e chefes de família. Orientadora:
Maria Lúcia Rocha-Coutinho. Rio de Janeiro, 2005: UFRJ/IP; EICOS, 2005. Tese
(Doutorado em Psicossociologia de Comunidades e Ecologia Social).
The objective of this study was to portray and analyze some characteristics of families
headed by poor women living in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. In order to do that, we first
researched 758 families, comparing living conditions between households headed by
women and those headed by men. Afterwards, in order to achieve a better understanding
of the dynamics in the life of women heading a family, we interviewed 16 women belonging
to the universe researched in the previous work stage. Our findings evidence the fact that
even inside a similar poverty context, families headed by women are poorer than those
headed by men. They include a larger number of children and old people. Women heading
families are generally less educated, having a lower market participation and compensation
than men. Add to that the fact that living conditions are a little worse in households headed
by women. However, even if the process of separation and being left by their spouses
hasn't assured them autonomy and an effective control over their personal and home
spheres -- since most of them, besides being in a situation of economic vulnerability, are
still subject to the necessities and choices of the family group – the experience of having to
take over family support and maintenance almost exclusively by their own means
strengthened their self-images, allowing them to increase their abilities and gain more self
appreciation. Thus, we believe that in time, women heading poor families stop perceiving
themselves as victims of circumstances and become more and more the main actors of
their own lives, even if against such heavy odds.
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