Desigualdade racial na elite ocupacional brasileira

Abstract

This work aims to discuss racial inequality in the labor market, elucidating the racial disparity in the occupational elite. This inequality is the result of a political and historical construction that forged structural racism, imposing a subordinate position on Black individuals in all aspects of social life. Brazilian society was built amid a colonialist process with a profound influence from the slave trade and the enslavement of Black people. The ideology that Black individuals were beings of lesser civilization and, therefore, could be exploited like animals persisted for a long time in Brazilian society; an example of this is scientific racism, which sought to justify such racism. Moreover, through these traumas and mechanisms imposed on Black people throughout the formation of society, the ideal emerged that Black individuals were less than human and, as such, did not deserve the same living conditions. Even after the Eusébio de Queirós Law and the Golden Law, perceptions of Black people did not change. There was no break that allowed for the humane inclusion of Black individuals in society; rather, there were laws that excluded them, even from the wage labor market. These laws encouraged the immigration of Europeans and other peoples to fill job positions in Brazil, resulting in significant unemployment among former slaves. Thus, this current work seeks to verify whether racial inequality persists in the occupational elite of the Brazilian labor market. To verify this, the racial hierarchy index proposed by Chadarevian (2011) was used as an accessory measure after discussing structural racism. The index shows a disparity among Brazilian regions, with the South having the lowest index, indicating greater racial inequality in the occupational elite. Another alarming factor is the wage disparity among races, with Black individuals having lower representation in higher salary brackets, particularly in the grouping of 20 minimum wages or more. Therefore, it can be seen that racial inequality in the labor market persists in Brazil today. The occupational elite exhibits disparity in participation between Black and white individuals, and salaries also reflect this racial inequality, with white individuals occupying elite positions and receiving higher salaries.