Marcadores sociais, cuidado e políticas públicas de gênero: um estudo de caso sobre a mitigação das vulnerabilidades de famílias monoparentais femininas em Sergipe

Abstract

Latin America and the Caribbean have the highest global rate of single-parent households led by women, accounting for 11% of the total worldwide in this category (Progress, 2019). In Brazil, households headed by women, without a spouse and with children, are among the most vulnerable family arrangements, as the majority of these women (60.3%) have a per capita household income of up to half the minimum wage. This type of arrangement includes 4.3 million families led by women without a spouse and with children up to 14 years old, of which 65.8% are headed by Black or mixed-race women (Brasil, 2024). Given this reality, the importance of public policies incorporating social markers of difference, a gender perspective, and attention to caregiving is questioned in order to mitigate the vulnerabilities faced by female single-parent families. In this context, the hypothesis guiding this research is that public policies integrating a gender perspective, attention to caregiving, and the observance of social markers of difference are more promising in reducing structural inequalities and mitigating the vulnerabilities faced by single mothers. To develop this research, the general objective is to analyze the relevance of applying these elements in public policies aimed at mitigating the vulnerabilities faced by female single-parent families, seeking to highlight how such approaches can contribute to an effective transformation of the inequality landscape. To explore this hypothesis and achieve the proposed objective, the study is structured into chapters that address the following aspects: (1) present the methodology used in the research, detailing data collection and analysis procedures; (2) analyze how, from the perspective of intersectionality theory, gender inequalities impact single motherhood, considering social markers of difference such as race, class, and gender; (3) investigate caregiving as a central element in public policies, considering its social, economic, and intersectional dimensions; and (4) conduct a descriptive case study to analyze the integration of social markers of difference, a gender perspective, and attention to caregiving in policy guidelines and actions, aiming to answer the research question regarding the relevance of these elements in public policies for mitigating the vulnerabilities faced by female single-parent families. Based on this structure, the adopted methodology is qualitative, focusing on a descriptive case study. The goal is to deepen the data analysis and offer a critical reflection on how public policies can be reformulated to be more inclusive and aligned with the real needs of single mothers in situations of vulnerability.