Narrativas autobiográficas de trabalhadoras domésticas no Piauí

Abstract

Domestic work, historically marked by social exclusion, emerges as both a space of resistance and a setting that perpetuates social inequalities. It is also a determining factor in the continued poverty experienced by many women. This condition of marginalization, combined with the historical context of social transition following the abolition of slavery, reinforces the continuity of unequal labor relations and the persistence of economic and psychological oppression against women within these spaces. Comprising two chapters, this dissertation aims to present the autobiographies of domestic workers in Piauí, exploring their life trajectories, their entry into the labor market, and how class, gender, and race relations have intertwined over time. The study presented the memories of four women who shared their life experiences and demonstrate how these workers, coming from poor families and rural backgrounds, experienced domestic labor, the hardships and violence they endured, and how those experiences shaped their identities and sense of belonging. The methodology of Oral History, combined with the historiography of domestic labor in Brazil, allowing access to the subjective and emotional dimensions of their experiences—elements that would not be revealed through statistical data or superficial analyses. Within this framework, the use of interdisciplinarity plays a fundamental role by connecting different dimensions—historical, sociological, economic, and gender-based—in order to understand the complex reality of these workers. However, the research contributes to the reflection on the oppression, devaluation, and exclusion of domestic workers in the workplace, as well as the struggle for the valuation and legal recognition of the profession in the country.