The black women and domestic work from the perspectives of Lélia Gonzalez and Beatriz Nascimento

Abstract

In this paper, part of an ongoing doctoral research in Geography, we propose a reflection of the thought of anthropologist Lélia Gonzalez (1935-1994) and historian Beatriz Nascimento (1942-1995), about the positions and conditions of black women in the labor market, with special attention to their contributions on paid domestic work. To do so, we surveyed the texts by these authors that deal with issues such as the labor market, economic-sexual exploitation of black women, representations, among others; and we addressed their main contributions to the understanding of the historical condition of exploitation and helplessness experienced, also, in the labor market. We also tried to relate their thoughts to other female authors who are also committed to interpreting and denouncing the different mechanisms of subordination of the black population in Brazil, with special emphasis on the condition of black women.