Regulation of care work carried out by women

Last week, a public hearing at the Legislative Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj) debated the Care Economy to propose public policies for women who carry out unpaid work dedicating themselves to the survival, well-being and education of people.

At the meeting, organized by the Commission for the Defense of Women’s Rights, the president of the collegiate, deputy Renata Souza (PSOL), defined several directions such as the indication of the regulation of care work to the Federal Government and the request for the availability of a budget by the Secretariat State for Women to create public policies aimed at the sector.

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For Renata Souza, it is extremely important to think of care work as a fundamental right and propose public policies that develop and strengthen this economy with support from the state. “This hearing was essential for us to address the unpaid work that is on the shoulders of women, especially caring for the home, children and the elderly. We need to ensure that there is support from the State, both at the state and federal level, through the regulation and visibility of this work to guarantee budgetary recognition and labor rights for these people”, said the parliamentarian.

During the meeting, various data on the topic were presented. According to a study by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), women dedicate almost twice as many hours more than men to the division of domestic and care work, increasing their working hours by more than 11 hours. According to the United Nations (UN), unpaid care activities are considered a factor that directly influences the situation of inequality faced by girls and women, and according to the entity, this work, despite being vital, is not seen by the economy and the State.

Care as an economic factor

The panel also approached the topic from an economic point of view generated by the unpaid care work carried out by women. According to a study by the Oxford Committee for the Alleviation of Hunger (Oxfam), 12.5 billion hours dedicated to care are carried out by women and from this work US$10.8 trillion would be generated for the global economy if they were paid a minimum wage for the tasks they perform. Still according to the study, if no one invested time, effort and resources in care, communities, workplaces and entire economies would stagnate.

Sociologist Graciela Rodriguez, coordinator of the EQUITE Institute – Gender, Economy and Global Citizenship, reinforced the importance of creating public policies for the sector. “We need to raise the discussion about the lack of knowledge about the wealth that is produced in the context of care work. In Brazil, if this work were counted, it would add approximately 15% to the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the last 20 years. Therefore, it is important to create public policies aimed at this public and thus generate social and economic development for the State”, said Rodriguez.

Slavery

The psychologist from the Assistance Program for Those Rescued from Slave Labor of the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ), Graziela Sereno, pointed out that 32% of rescues of victims of work similar to slavery come from domestic work. She also stated that the State of Rio de Janeiro leads the ranking of domestic workers in situations of slavery.

“We understand that domestic work meets a socioeconomic need, but it also presents characteristics and services closely associated with the context of Brazil’s formation, in which national economic production was sustained by the enslavement of the workforce, of which women had a fundamental and specific role in the development of our country. In this sense, female work has historically been associated with care, whether with domestic tasks, cleaning, cooking, organizing daily life, or with care work for young people, children, people with disabilities, the elderly or anyone who needs this service”, he stated. the psychologist.

The debate table also brought to discussion the racial issue that is present in the context of care work. According to data presented by IBGE, women who declare themselves black have the highest rate of carrying out domestic tasks: 92.7%. For Rio de Janeiro councilor Thais Ferreira (PSOL), it is necessary to look at care as a workforce mostly carried out by black women.

“We still need to tell everyone that care is always provided through work and that work needs to be carried out by a person. And most of the time, that person will be a black woman. For every 100 regulated care professionals, 40 are black women”, highlights the councilor.

Bill

Alerj has been expanding the debate on the need to create public policies and visibility of care work. Bill 4523/2021 is currently being discussed in the House, which establishes and creates guidelines, including a state plan, to deal with the savings generated by care work. According to deputy Renata Souza, author of the proposal, the measure aims to reduce social inequality and promote the state’s socioeconomic development.

During the hearing, the following guidelines were defined: the panel will commission a survey of existing public policies in the state aimed at the care economy, asking city councils what initiatives exist for this sector; will demand the production of data on care work with issues of race and gender; will recommend the expansion of qualifications and regulation of the caregiving profession; in addition to providing information to the State Secretariat for Women on the budget directed to public policies on care work.

The meeting was attended by the superintendent of Economic Autonomy of the State Secretariat for Women, Karol Mendez; the president of the Association of Caregivers for the Elderly, Mental Health and Disabled People of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Ana Gilda Soares; the public prosecutor of Rio de Janeiro, Patrícia Leite; the founder of Casa cuidado, Cyntia Matos; and the information coordinator at Casa Fluminense, Luize Sampaio.

*With information from the Alerj portal.

Editing: Mariana Pitasse