On the Frontlines: Ethnographic Approaches to Gender, Care, and Health in Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas

Abstract (English)

In this presentation, we aim to reflect on care dynamics in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the gender inequalities that emerge in these contexts. The research that gave rise to these reflections began within Primary Health Care services in a cluster of favelas in the city, where a massive presence of women was identified as users and as the primary mediators of access to the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). From this perspective, the analysis reveals how care is structured by gender, class, and racial inequalities, marked by improvisation and the absence of the state, which limits the possibilities for economic and social autonomy for those providing care.

The notion of “care arrangements” was mobilized to broaden the understanding of the interdependencies involved in caregiving, including relationships with the state, markets, family, and community networks. Continuing this research agenda, more recent work has focused on family arrangements in which grandmothers assume the role of primary caregivers for their grandchildren. Through in-depth interviews, it was possible to examine how intergenerational care operates as a strategy of resilience and family support, while also imposing additional burdens on the women involved. These experiences allow us to question the naturalization of care as an exclusively female responsibility and point to the need for articulating care with reproductive justice.

Additionally, the study sought to reflect on the emotions and moralities that permeate care arrangements. Solidarity, reciprocity, and intergenerational responsibility emerge as principles that justify and reframe the role of grandmothers, but they also reveal tensions between individual autonomy and family obligations. Moreover, access to social assistance, education, and health programs is often insufficient, making community networks central to mediating situations of vulnerability. By addressing these issues, this presentation seeks to contribute to debates on social inequalities, family organization, and the development of public policies in health and other areas that are more attuned to the realities of families in such contexts.