Perceptions of the State’s Role, Productive and Reproductive Work: An Analysis of Rio de Janeiro^*

Abstract

This paper analyzes, from a survey applied to the entire state of Rio de Janeiro through a sample research, perceptions and representations of men and women about productive and reproductive work in our society. In order to do this, the survey takes up some issues already explored and analyzed in previous research conducted in 2003 and introduces new variables. The resulting information offers a rich panorama that can be analyzed together with other data sources provided by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics/IBGE) in order to outline the process of deconstruction of traditional gender identities. In this sense, perceptions about the roles of family, state and market in the possible arrangements under discussion vary greatly depending on the respondent's profile. Generally speaking, it highlights the fact that historically important variables such as educational level have a modified importance because of the increasing complexity of ongoing dynamics in recent years.

Gender; Work; Care institutions