Women who live in mining on the French-Brazilian border: daily challenges

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives: to describe the daily life of Brazilian women who work in mining. Methods: a descriptive, qualitative study, with analysis based on the theory of Symbolic Interactionism. Non-participant observations, field diary writing, sociodemographic form, non-directive interviews, recorded and transcribed in full, were carried out with 19 women who work in mining areas on the French-Brazilian Amazon border. Results: two categories emerged: Life trajectories: women’s work in mining; Woman, mother and prospector: the multiple facets of gender inequality on the Amazon border. Final Considerations: assessing the daily experiences of women in the Amazonian mines allowed identifying their health needs, evidencing the need to direct and implement public and social policies and health practices for comprehensive care of these women’s health.