Desigualdades, Trabalho e Gênero: transgressões nas relações laborais no contexto do movimento sindical de trabalhadores do setor metalúrgico

Abstract

Since its beginning, the trade union organization has accomplished great conquests, yet in the second decade of the 21st century it still faces challenges when it comes to the promotion of gender equality social relations. In Brazil there still are gender asymmetries between the number of affiliates and the filling of directive posts in several union categories. This research discusses the inequality of classes and gender, and focuses on the women transgression of occupying posts where “they should not be”. In general, this essay intends to comprehend the aspect of such transgression in the sense of what has happened in the lives of these women that made them go towards this direction and how such aspects affect the social development. Being more specific, the text intends (i) make a historical path of the workers organization process and the gender inequality in the union trade movement, with highlight in the technological transformations and their consequences to the union trade movement in Brazil making it possible to comprehend the Metallurgical Union in the context of the new Brazilian unionism; (ii) present theories referring to labor, gender, and power (iii) to learn about the life trajectory of some women inserted in the directory board of entities in which major basis being men as well as the trajectory of the metallurgic union with the purpose of identifying the challenges faced by these women through their life trajectory (iv) comprehend these women’s singular answer to the challenges faced during the transposition of such gender inequalities found in the unions and how these challenging situations have influenced in their insertion in the directory board of these organizations. In relation to methodological procedures, to achieve the proposed goals, the union organization was chosen based on the following criteria: (a) that it was a representative of a masculine sector in its majority, that is with a bigger proportion of men workers; (b) in a professional field with strong sexual division of the work; (c) with gender asymmetries in the performance of the same function; (d) with the posts of the directive basis being filled, in its majority, by men workers. In terms of theoretical referral, the study centers in the work and gender categories to discuss productive restructure and the impact of the technological changes on the labor and union organization; gender and power; gender roles in the labor world, women insertion in the labor market and gender inequality in labor relations; sexual division of the work and professional segregation; women participation in directive posts within the unions. Based on the individuation sociology, this essay aims to comprehend the confrontation of gender inequality in the labor world through the analytical operator called proof. The operator is used to analyze the difficulties and challenges faced by women in the day-by-day life and in the structure of the labor relations as well as their answer to such challenges. The usual proof identified in the life trajectory of the director women relates to family, school, job and also to herself. It was verified that the professional trajectory has propitiated their consciousness change which has approached them to the union activity in the face of the possibility to find themselves deprived from the job. This proactivity had evoked the attention of the masculine directors who invited the women to be part of the elective slates that would be disputing the union directory posts. All together, these factors determined their inclusion in the directive board of the social entity.