A pobreza de tempo como fator de precarização do trabalho feminino no Brasil

Abstract

This study analyzes time poverty as a determining factor in the precarization of female labor in Brazil. The central premise is that the historically structured sexual division of labor imposes upon women the exclusive responsibility for both productive and reproductive work, generating an overload resulting from the double shift. This overload leads to a chronic time deficit that limits women’s full insertion into the labor market. The main objective is to demonstrate that this scarcity of time compels women to accept part-time, informal, or lower-paid, thereby perpetuating a cycle of socioeconomic vulnerability. It is argued that time poverty must be understood as an expression of structural inequality and a direct consequence of the patriarchal social structure that naturalizes gender roles, reinforcing the precarization of working conditions. The critical analysis points out that brazilian labor legislation, although seemingly neutral, ignores this model by being shaped by a male paradigm of full-time availability. Consequently, the lack of effective co-responsibility policies and the rigidity of standard working hours ultimately reinforce gender inequality. It is concluded that combating the precarization of female labor requires labor law to recognize time poverty as a central obstacle. It is fundamental to overcome the logic of false neutrality in public policies and advance toward building a system that promotes the equitable redistribution of reproductive and productive work between men and women, enabling better opportunities and greater autonomy for women in the labor market.