Abstract

SANTANA, Munich  and  DIMENSTEIN, Magda. Domestic labour of adolescents and reproduction of unequal gender relationships. PsicoUSF [online]. 2005, vol.10, n.1, pp.93-102. ISSN 1413-8271.

We intend to discuss adolescent domestic labour using a gender relationship perspective while linking it to the categories of social class, ethnicity and intergenerationality. We use data of a study conducted in Natal (RN), that points out that young women initiate work early in their lives thereby accumulating school and job tasks. The working conditions are unequal, exemplified by low pay, extensive work periods, and night shifts which is prohibited for those under 18 years of age. This type of work is undervalued, routine, and unstimulating. It reproduces many social conflicts, especially those related to gender, for it is a form of perpetuating the designation of the domestic space to the feminine figure thereby reproducing the sexual division of labour. In spite of that, however, this type of work has a positive meaning for these young women. They view it as a form of social ascension, of gaining autonomy, and of helping their families that live in the interior of the state.

Keywords : Domestic labour; Adolescent; Women; Gender relationships; Private sector.

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