Care strategies and family life cycles: the experiences of women in poverty

Abstract

Care is a productive theme for the sociological unveiling of gender, race, and class inequalities. In this article, we aim to identify and understand the care strategies developed by poor women living in large urban centers in Brazil, highlighting the variations associated with the family life cycle. Based on qualitative research, we analyzed 97 interviews carried out in different regions of the country in 2018. Our main argument is that, depending on their life cycle, women strategically mobilize diverse family ties, community, and public resources that allow them to perform the functions of caregivers, in parallel with other responsibilities, needs and interests. The results add to research that seeks to understand the social organization of care in countries characterized by levels of extreme inequality, as is the case in Brazil.