CHANGI NG THE FOCUS: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF DRUG USE AND W ORPLACE
VI OLENCE AMONG W OMEN OF POPULAR CLASSES I N RI O DE JANEI RO, BRAZI L
1Helena Mar ia Scher low sk i Leal Dav id2 Cat h er in e Cau field3
Th is ex plor at or y st u dy aim ed t o in v est igat e f act or s r elat ed t o t h e u se of illicit an d licit dr u gs an d workplace violence in a group of wom en from popular classes in t he cit y of Rio de Janeiro. We used a descript ive and analyt ic quant it at ive approach was used, as well as a qualit at ive approach t hrough in- dept h int erviews wit h w om en w h o su f f er ed or w er e su f f er in g w or k p lace v iolen ce, u sin g t h e collect iv e su b j ect d iscou r se an aly sis m et h odology . Th e r esu lt s sh ow ed sociodem ogr aph ic an d w or k sit u at ion s t h at can be con sider ed as possible r isk f act or s f or d r u g con su m p t ion an d w or k p lace v iolen ce. Th e q u alit at iv e an aly sis sh ow s h ow t h is g r ou p p er ceiv es t h e p h en om en a of d r u g u se an d w or k p lace v iolen ce, ex p an d in g t h e com p r eh en sion ab ou t t h ese issues and pr ov iding concept ual and m et hodological elem ent s for addit ional st udies on t his subj ect .
DESCRI PTORS: w om en ; w om en , w or k in g; v iolen ce; su bst an ce- r elat ed disor der s
CAMBI ANDO EL FOCO: UN ESTUDI O EXPLORATORI O ACERCA DEL
USO DE DROGAS Y VI OLÊNCI A EN EL TRABALHO DE MUJERES
DE LAS CLASSES POPULARES DE RI O DE JANEI RO, BRASI L
La finalidad de est e est udio ex plor at or io fue conocer los fact or es r elacionados con el uso de dr ogas lícit as e ilícit as y la violencia en el t rabaj o en un grupo de m uj eres de clases populares en la ciudad de Rio de Jan eir o. Par a est e est u dio se u t ilizó u n a apr ox im ación cu an t it at iv a descr ipt iv a y an alít ica, adem ás de u n a ap r ox im ación cu alit at iv a a p ar t ir d e en t r ev ist as en p r of u n d id ad con m u j er es q u e su f r en o h ab ían su f r id o sit uaciones de violencia en el t rabaj o. Se ut ilizó la m et odología de análisis del discurso del suj et o colect ivo. Los r esult ados ev idencian sit uaciones sociodem ogr áficas y de t r abaj o que pueden ser consider adas com o posibles fact or es de r iesgo par a el consum o de dr ogas y v iolencia en el t r abaj o. El análisis cualit at iv o m uest r a com o est e gr u p o d e m u j er es p er cib e el f en óm en o d el u so d e d r ogas y d e v iolen cia en el t r ab aj o, am p lian d o la com pr ensión sobr e est as cuest iones y dando apor t es concept uales y m et odológicos par a est udios adicionales sobr e el t em a.
DESCRI PTORES: m uj er es; t r abaj o de m uj er es; v iolencia; t r ast or nos r elacionados con subst ancias
MUDANDO O FOCO: UM ESTUDO EXPLORATÓRI O SOBRE USO
DE DROGAS E VI OLÊNCI A NO TRABALHO ENTRE MULHERES DAS
CLASSES POPULARES DA CI DADE DO RI O DE JANEI RO, BRASI L
Est e é u m est u do ex plor at ór io par a o m apeam en t o de f at or es en v olv idos n a r elação en t r e u so de dr ogas lícit as e ilícit as e violência no t r abalho, em um gr upo de m ulher es das classes popular es da cidade do Rio de Jan eir o. Par a est e est u do foi u t ilizada u m a abor dagem qu an t it at iv a descr it iv a e an alít ica, e t am bém ab or d ag em q u alit at iv a a p ar t ir d e en t r ev ist as ap r of u n d ad as com m u lh er es q u e sof r em ou h av iam sof r id o sit u ações de v iolên cia n o t r abalh o, u t ilizan do a m et odologia do Discu r so do Su j eit o Colet iv o. Os r esu lt ados ev iden ciam sit u ações sócio- dem ogr áficas e de t r abalh o qu e podem ser con sider adas com o possív eis fat or es de r isco par a o consum o de dr ogas e v iolência no t r abalho. A análise qualit at iv a m ost r ou a for m a com o est e gr upo de m ulher es v ê o fenôm en o do u so de dr ogas e da v iolência no t r abalh o, am pliando a com pr eensão sob r e est as q u est ões e f or n ecen d o su b síd ios con ceit u ais e m et od ológ icos p ar a est u d os ad icion ais sob r e o t em a.
DESCRI TORES: m ulher es; t r abalho fem inino; v iolência; t r anst or nos r elacionados ao uso de subst âncias
1
The opinions expressed in t his art icle are t he sole responsabilit y of t he aut hors and do not in any way represent t he posit ion of t he organizat ion t hey work at or it s adm inist rat ion; 2 Doct or in Public Healt h, associat e t eacher of t he Depart m ent of Nursing in Public Healt h of t he College of Nursing of t he Universit y
I NTRODUCTI ON
T
h e g l o b a l i z a t i o n p r o c e s s m u s t n o t b e ex am in ed on ly f r om an econ om ic p er sp ect iv e. Th er eor ien t at ion of m ar k et r elat ion s bet w een cou n t r ies
was accom panied by social changes, especially in t he
p oor cou n t r ies. Th ese ch an g es ar e cr eat ed m ain ly
because of t he increasing concent rat ion of power and
ca p i t a l i n t h e h a n d s o f a f e w a ct o r s, l e a d i n g t o
incr eased inequalit y bet w een t he r ich and t he poor.
I n Lat in Am er ican cou n t r ies t h e in abilit y t o con t r ol
t h ei r o w n cap i t al , n o w su b m i t t ed t o i n t er n at i o n al
capit al, m ean s t h at t h eir polit ical an d social issu es
becom e su bor din at e in or der f or t h em t o m eet t h e
requirem ent s of t he int ernat ional banks which subsize
t h e i r e co n o m i e s. Ma cr o e co n o m i c a d j u st m e n t , o r
st r uct ur al adj ust m ent , cr eat ed a significant im pact in
w elfar e st at e polit ics, such as t he r egulat ion of w or k
r el at i on s. Fl ex i b i l i t y, ou t sou r ci n g , p r ecar i ou s w or k
r elat ions and incr easing unem ploy m ent ar e pr oblem s
t hat w idely affect t he Lat in count ries( 1).
I n r e l a t i o n t o t h e f e m i n i n e w o r k f o r c e ,
in cr easin g p ar t icip at ion in t h e n at ion al econ om y is
r em ar k able: bet w een 1 9 8 5 an d 1 9 9 5 , t h e f em in in e
w or k for ce gr ew 63% , w it h an addit ion of 12 m illion
w om an w orkers( 2). The changes in fem inine w ork are
not j ust num er ical: The pr ofile of t he w om an w or ker
ch an ged f r om y ou n g, sin gle an d w it h ou t ch ildr en t o
t h e in cr easin g in cor por at ion of older w om en , w iv es
an d m ot h er s. I n a p at r iar ch al societ y su ch as t h e
Br azi l i an , t h i s d i d n o t i m p l y i n cr eased sh ar i n g o f
dom est ic t asks wit h m en. The necessit y of com bining
f am ily an d p r of ession al w or k , an d t h u s t h e d ou b le
h ou r s of w or k in g is t h e ot h er f ace of t h e f em in in e
w o r k . Ch a n g e s i n f e m i n i n e i d e n t i t y, r e l a t e d t o
increased educat ion and a reduct ion in t he num ber of
ch ildr en , also br ou gh t ch an ges t o t h e pr ofile of t h e
wom an worker. However, t hese changes do not benefit
all Brazilan w om en in an equal w ay. Those w ho ar e
p o o r, w i t h l i t t l e f o r m a l e d u c a t i o n a n d w i t h o u t
pr ofessional qualificat ions, and t hose w it h childr en t o
r aise and st ill needing t o w or k ; hav e not benefit t ed
fr om t he fem inist v ict or ies of t he last decades.
Th e p r e ca r i o u s w o r k r e l a t i o n s ca u se d b y
under em ploy m ent , fr eelance w or k , or ir r egular w or k ,
af f ect s Br azilan w om en m or e t h an Br azailan m en .
Wom en’s salar ies also ar e low er t han for m en in t he
sam e j ob. I n relat ion t o unem ploym ent t ax, bet w een
1990 and 2002 t his w as in 8. 0 per cent ile point s for
Br azil( 3 ). We h av e, t h u s, a scen e t h at sig n if ican t ly
af f ect s t h e lif e of t h e Br azilian w om an w or k er. We
m ust r em em ber t hat , accor ding t o t he census of t he
I BGE in t he year 2000, about 25% of Brazilian fam ilies
ar e financially suppor t ed by w om en.
Use of dr ugs by w om en and v iolence
Th i s e co n o m i c a n d so ci o - p o l i t i ca l co n t e x t
pr ov ides t h e t o su ppor t t h e st at em en t t h at t h e u se
and abuse of licit and illicit drugs in Brazilian wom en
is a quest ion t hat deser v es at t ent ion. I n Br azil, t he
consum pt ion of drugs by wom en t ripled bet ween 1993
an d 1 9 9 8 . Th e r elat ion sh ip b et w een d r u g u se an d
v iolence is a com plex phenom enon, inv olv ing social,
et hnic, polit ical and cult ur al v ar iables( 4).
I l l i ci t d r u g an d u se an d ex cessi v e al co h o l
co n su m p t i o n a r e f r e q u e n t i n n o n - v i o l e n t p e o p l e .
However, t hese subst ances are also com m on in m any
si t u a t i o n s o f v i o l en ce - i n cl u d i n g a g g r esso r s a n d
vict im s. The connect ion bet ween t he use of subst ances
an d v iolen ce is com plex , an d m or e su ggest iv e t h an
conclusiv e( 5- 6).
N e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e r e i s e v i d e n c e o f a n
incr easing pr ev alence of v iolence associat ed w it h t he
abuse of dr ugs in Lat in Am er ica. Her e, globalizat ion
of t h e m ar k et ag g r av at es t h e p r ob l em b ecau se i t
facilit at es t he dr ug m ar k et , t he div er sificat ion of t he
pr oduct ion sour ces, and t he incr ease of t he dem and
i n d i v e r se p o p u l a t i o n g r o u p s, i n cl u d i n g w o m e n .
Be y o n d t h e se , o t h e r f a ct o r s co n t r i b u t e , su ch a s
ch an g es in t h e f am ily st r u ct u r e, in t h e r ole of t h e
w om an, and in lifest yle and values( 5,7- 8).
Th e u se o f d r u g s o ccu r s i n a n eco n o m i c,
social, legal, sit uat ional and cult ural environm ent t hat
in f lu en ces p ot en t ial v iolen t b eh av ior s( 5 , 8 ). Dif f er en t
dr ugs affect indiv iduals in differ ent w ay s, depending
on per sonal char act er ist ics, cult ur e, age, sex, hist or y
and fact or s such as t he ingest ion of alcohol t oget her
w it h am phet am ines and cocaine( 9).
Go l d s t e i n( 1 0 - 1 1 ) d e v e l o p e d a t r i p a r t i t e
concept ual m odel t o classify possible fact or s im plicit
in drug- relat ed violence. Beyond t he violence direct ly
asso ci at ed w i t h t h e ef f ect o f d r u g s i n t h e cen t r al
n e r v o u s sy st e m ( p h a r m a co l o g i ca l v i o l e n ce ) , t h i s
m odel includes social v iolence pr oduced in pr ocesses
such as t he com m ercializat ion of illicit drugs ( syst em ic
v iolence) , and t he v iolence used t o obt ain m oney t o
p u r ch a se d r u g s ( co m p u l so r y e co n o m i c v i o l e n ce ) .
Accor d in g t o t h is r esear ch , sy st em ic v iolen ce an d
ar e r epor t ed alm ost en t ir ely by m en an d r ar ely by
wom en. Cocaine and heroine are t he subst ances m ost
closely associat ed w it h sy st em ic v iolence. Alcohol is
t h e s u b s t a n c e m o s t f r e q u e n c y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h
phar m acological v iolence in bot h m en and w om en.
Violence in t he w or k place
Th e Cen t er f or Disease Con t r ol in t h e USA
affir m s t hat v iolence in t he w or k place has incr eased
300% in t he last decade. Risk fact ors associat ed wit h
non- fat al aggressions have been regist ered. However,
som e st u d ies h av e d em on st r at ed t h at f act or s su ch
as g en d er, et h n ic or ig in , occu p at ion an d ex cessiv e
alcoholic consum pt ion seem t o be st rongly associat ed
w i t h a g g r e ssi o n i n t h e w o r k p l a ce( 1 2 - 1 3 ). I n La t i n
Am er ica, lit t le infor m at ion exist s about t his sit uat ion.
The declarat ion m ade for t he General Meet ing
of t he Unit ed Nat ions in 1993 and adopt ed by t he World
Healt h Organizat ion ( OMS) in 1996 ident ifies violence
against wom en as being any aggression on t he basis
of gen der t h at r esu lt s in ph y sical, m or al, sex u al or
p sy ch olog ical d am ag e.
D o m e st i c v i o l e n ce h a s b e e n t h e t y p e o f
v i o l e n c e m o s t s t u d i e d i n i t s d e t e r m i n a t i v e a n d
condit ioning aspect s. Ther e is lit t le w or k done in t he
a r e a o f w o m e n ’ s h e a l t h a n d v i o l e n c e i n t h e
w or k place( 1 4 ).
Th er e ar e a f ew sp eci f i c r esear ch st u d i es
a b o u t w o m e n a n d w o r k p l a ce v i o l e n ce i n Br a z i l ,
h ow ev er, t h e f ocu s is d if f er en t f r om t h at in Nor t h
Am er ican st u dies: I n t h e Nor t h Am er ican cou n t r ies
t h e f ocu s is on classif y in g sit u at ion s, en v ir on m en t s
a n d b e h a v i o r s o f r i sk a n d t o d e f i n e i n f o r m a t i v e
inst rum ent s for t he direct prevent ion of accident s and
violence in t he workplace. The worker is t he one seen
as t he m ain aggressor, especially t he young wit h fam ily
problem s, in possession of firearm s and wit h problem s
of consum pt ion of alcohol. There is a t rend in focusing
t he subj ect from t he point of view of t he vict im izat ion
of t he em ploy er or m ast er, and not t he w or ker.
Th is sim plificat ion of t h e r isk of v iolen ce in
t he w or k place does not r ev eal t he com plex it y of t he
phenom enon. The discussion of psychological violence,
which in Brazil has also been called m oral harassm ent
i n t h e w o r k p l ace, h as g ai n ed i n cr easi n g sp ace i n
forum s of working debat es but not in t he healt h care
ar en a. Co n si d er i n g t h e v u l n er ab i l i t y o f w o m en t o
violence and t heir generally lower posit ion in t he world
of work in relat ion t o m en, it is of ut m ost im port ance
t o bet t er underst and t his issue and t o ident ify nuances
relat ed t o t he diverse form s and sit uat ions of work of
w om en of popular classes.
METHODOLOGY
An explorat ory quant it at ive st udy was carried
ou t w it h a n on - pr obabilist ic sam ple of 1 0 9 r esiden t
w om en in com m u n it ies an d p op u lar n eig h b or h ood s
of Rio De Jan eir o bet w een t h e m on t h s of Febr u ar y
a n d Ma y o f 2 0 0 4 . 1 0 o f t h e se 1 0 9 w o m e n w e r e
i n t e r v i e w e d i n - d e p t h u s i n g t h e Me t h o d o l o g y o f
Co l l e ct i v e Su b j e ct D i sco u r se An a l y si s. I n cl u si o n
cr it er ion w er e:
- being a w or k er w om an;
- bet ween 18 and 60 years old;
- an incom e up t o four r egional m inim um salar ies;
- v olunt ar y agr eem ent t o par t icipat e in t he st udy.
A con v en ien ce sam p le is t h e r esu lt of t h e
difficult y in com plet ing t he random probabilist ic sam ple
planned, due t o t he difficult ies of doing t he int erviews
at night aft er t he r et ur n of t he w om en of t heir w or k
an d b ecau se of t h e social t en sion su f f er ed b y t h e
populat ion of t he cit y of Rio de Janeiro due t o urban
v iolence. The sit uat ion of v iolence and r elat ed social
t e n si o n i s m o r e e v i d e n t i n t h e co m m u n i t i e s a n d
popular neighborhoods. This also occurs in ot her Lat in
Am er ican cit ies w her e t he gener alized feeling of fear
is pr esent in t he populat ions of m any ur ban cent er s.
I n ex plor at or y st udies, w her e t he necessar y
infor m at ion for t he const r uct ion of t he r esear ch ar e
b ein g sou g h t , a con v en ien ce sam p le can b e m or e
u sef u l t h an a r an dom on e becau se t h er e is n ot , at
t his m om ent , t he int ent ion of m aking inferences t hat
can be considered as represent at ive of t he populat ion
as a whole. The explorat ory st udy aim s t o creat e som e
hypot heses and t o suggest variables t hat m ight bet t er
ex plain t he st udied phenom enon.
A qu est ion n air e w as u sed for t h e collect ion
of quant it at ive dat e relat ed t o socio- dem ographic and
w or k sit uat ion. A fur t her quest ionnair e w as used t o
a s s e s s v i o l e n c e i n t h e w o r k p l a c e . Th i s s e c o n d
quest ionnair e w as adapt ed fr om t he bibliogr aphy of
t he I nt er nat ional Labour Or ganizat ion ( I LO) . Finally,
a t h ir d q u est ion n air e, t h e TWEAK, w as ad ap t ed t o
ev alu at e t h e of con su m pt ion of alcoh ol, illicit dr u gs
a n d ci g a r e t t e s. Pa r t i ci p a n t s w e r e a sk e d t o n o t e
relevant behaviours for only t he year previous t o t he
The in- dept h int er v iew s w er e car r ied out in
t h e h o m e s o f t h e w o m e n , w i t h t h e i r p r e v i o u s
agreem ent . Prior cont act s wit h t he com m unit y leaders
had also been m ade.
D e s c r i p t i v e s t a t i s t i c s w e r e u s e d f o r t h e
an aly sis of t h e f r equ en cies an d r at io of t h e u se of
alcohol, cigaret t es and illicit drugs. Descript ive st at ist ics
w er e also used for analy zing t he r epor t ed sit uat ions
of p h y si cal an d p sy ch ol og i cal v i ol en ce an d sex u al
har assm ent in t he w or k place. Biv ar iat e analy sis w as
used t o analy ze t he r elat ionship bet w een t he
socio-dem ogr aph ic v ar iables an d of v iolen ce an d t h e u se
of drugs in order t o ident ify risk fact ors and prot ect ive
f act or s. Th e v er if icat ion of t h e associat ion bet w een
v ar i ab l es t h at can b e co n si d er ed r i sk f act o r s w as
car r ied t hr ough by t he calculat ion of odds r at ios.
Th e m e t h o d o l o g y o f Co l l e c t i v e S u b j e c t
Discour se Analy sis w as used t o analy ze t he in- dept h
int erviews, allowing for t he const ruct ion of a “ collect ive
speech” capable of ex pr essing som e im por t ant social
represent at ions for t he underst anding of t he way t hese
w om en see an d t h in k ab ou t t h e u se of d r u g s an d
v iolence in t he w or k place.
RESULTS AND DI SCUSSI ON
Alcohol w as t he m ost used subst ance - 45%
of t he wom en of t he sam ple consum e alcohol. Scores
of 2 or m or e on t h e TWEAK ar e associat ed w it h a
gr eat er pr obabilit y for pr oblem s w it h t he use of t he
alcoh ol. 7 5 % of t h e w om en w h om w h o n ot ed t h at
t hey dr ink alcoholic bev er ages also had a scor e of 2
or gr eat er on t he TWEAK.
Possible risk fact ors, which m ay guide furt her
st udies, include t he follow ing v ar iables:
- Ci v i l S t a t u s : t h e a v e r a g e TW EA K s c o r e s f o r
separat ed wom en was slight ly larger ( 2.75) t han t hose
for m ar r ied w om en ( 1.89) and single w om en ( 1.75) .
On t his quest ion, aspect s relat ed t o t he experience of
separat ed wom en who m ust assum e responsibilit y for
t he fam ily need t o be under st ood.
- Pr esen ce of a f r ien d or h u sb an d : in d ep en d en t of
civil st at us, 45% of t he wom en had lived alone in t he
m ont h pr ior t o t he int er v iew . Am ong t hese, TWEAK
scor es w er e also slight ly higher t han t hose obt ained
am ong wom en who had lived wit h husband or friend.
However, t his was not verified by probabilit y st at ist ics
( OR= 1 . 0 0 ) .
- Ch i l d r e n : i n t h i s sa m p l e , w o m e n w i t h ch i l d r e n
pr esent ed slight ly gr eat er r isk of consum ing alcohol
t han w om en w ho did not have childr en ( OR= 1.52) .
- Ty p e of w or k : m an u al, in t ellect u al or r elat ion al:
Wom en wit h relat ional work had higher TWEAK scores
t han wom en em ployed in m anual or int ellect ual work.
Ed u cat ion , r elig ion an d n u m b er of ch ild r en
w er e fact or s t hat did not affect alcohol consum pt ion
in t h e st u d ied sam p le. Som e st at ist ical in f er en ces
( biv ar iat e and logist ic r egr ession bet w een v ar iables)
d i d n o t r e v e a l a st a t i st i ca l r e l a t i o n sh i p b e t w e e n
v ar iables in t his sam ple.
I n w om en w ho consum e alcohol, 81% w er e
cat holic, 13% pr ot est ant , and 4% of ot her r eligions.
The m oral rest rict ions regarding t he use of t he alcohol
in p r ot est an t r elig ion s an d sect s, esp ecially t h ose
belonging t o neopent ecost al gr oups. I t is w ell- k now n
t hat neopent ecost al gr oup ar e a significant pr esence
in non- ur ban set t ing in Br azil.
A closer ex am inat ion of t his v ar iable r ev eals
im port ant differences in t he act ion of each church or
sect about t he use of t he alcohol. The gap bet w een
w h o y ou ar e an d w h o y ou sh ou ld b e accor d in g t o
religion is m ore com m on in t he cat holic religion t han
in pent ecost al chur ches w her e m ilit ancy t o w ho y ou
s h o u l d b e i s a n e s s e n t i a l d i m e n s i o n . I n t h e
neopent ecost al religions it is t hrough speech t hat t he
“ believer ” pr oduces t he expr ession of his or her ow n
ident it y. All t he ot her social r oles t hat t hey have ar e
secon dar y. Th e st r on g opposit ion t o any r ecogn ized
b eh av i o r as “ cat h o l i c” o r “ u m b an d a” i n cl u d es t h e
est ablishm ent of rigid clot hes rules and t he prohibit ion
of alcoholic dr ink and cigar et t es.
The beneficial effect s of r eligious conv er sion
t o Pen t ecost alism in clu de a decr ease in u n desir able
behaviours t hat int ervene in fam ily life, such as sexual
pr om iscuit y and use of alcohol. Fr equent ly it is only
t he wom an in t he fam ily who convert s( 15).
I n j u x t aposit ion t o t h e posit ion again st t h e
u se of t h e dr in k , on e in - dept h in t er v iew ee felt t h at
t he use of t he alcohol, especially beer, is som et hing
t hat does not necessarily creat e problem s. The wom en
who consum e alcohol usually do it in t he weekend as
a form of leisure or t hey incorporat e it int o ot her form s
of leisur e. They do not at t r ibut e any negat iv e effect
t o t h is. Som e alleg ed t h at t h e ef f ect of alcoh ol is
relaxing. They relat ed t heir use of alcohol t o w ork in
st at ing t hat aft er a hard week of work drink helped t o
The use of t he cigar et t es w as found in 21%
of t he wom en. I t is not st at ist ically associat ed t o
socio-d e m o g r a p h i c f a c t o r s o r t o w o r k . Th e i r w a s n o
report ing of illicit dr ug use.
The t hree form s of violence described on t he
q u est ion n air e ( p h y sical, v er b al or sex u al) , d id n ot
p r o d u c e s i g n i f i c a n t TW EA K s c o r e s w h e n o n l y
r e p o r t i n g o c c u r a n c e s i n t h e y e a r p r i o r t o t h e
q u est ion n air e.
The use of t cigar et t es w as eit her pr esent or
a b s e n t , w i t h n o s c o r e s f o r a m o u n t s o r t y p e o f
cigaret t e. I n t he sam ple, 21% of t he wom en affirm ed
u s i n g c i g a r e t t e s . An y o f t h e s o c i o - d e m o g r a p h i c
variables could have been considered as possible risk
fact ors for t he use of t obacco. Neit her t he environm ent
nor w or k condit ions could hav e been v er ified in t his
dir ect ion .
There were no report s of t he use of any t ype
of illicit dr ug in t he per iod of one y ear pr ior t o and
including t he dat e of t he int erview. I t is possible t hat
t h is is n ot an accu r at e r ef lect ion of t h e absen ce of
drug use, but rat her a reflect ion of fear of som e t ype
of invest igat ion as t here is a punat ive polit ic in Brazil
r elat ed t o dr ug use.
I n t he 9 w om en w ho r epor t ed som e t y pe of
phy sical v iolence, 3 ident ified cust om er s or pat ient s
as t h e ag g r essor s an d 1 p er son id en t if ied a f ellow
w or ker. Tw o w om en did not answ er t his quest ion. I n
r el at i o n t o co n si d er t h i s a t y p i cal i n ci d en t o f t h e
w or k st at ion, 3 answ er ed “ no”, and 4 “ yes”. Again, 2
wom en did not answer t o t his quest ion.
Th e m a j o r i t y o f t h e se i n ci d e n t s o ccu r r e d
inside of t he workplace ( n= 6) . Responses t o t he at t ack
included physical defense ( n= 3) , t elling t he aggressor
t o st op ( n = 2 ) , aseek in g t h e aid of t h e pr of ession al
associat ion ( n= 1) . Four r espondant s consider ed t hat
t he incident could have been foreseen, and 3 did not .
Th e im m ediat e con sequ en ces on t h e h ealt h
an d w elf ar e of t h e at t ack ed w om an in clu ded bein g
“ super - aler t ” against fur t her at t ack . Four w om en said
t hat aft er t he at t ack t hey felt fat igue and avoided t o
speaking about it . 2 report ed having repeat ed im ages
of t he occur r ence.
I n j ust 2 cases t here was som e invest igat ion
of t h e at t ack . Th e con seq u en ces f or t h e ag g r essor
included verbal warning in one case and discont inuit y
o f t h e ca r e i n a n o t h e r. I n 2 ca se s t h e r e w a s n o
consequence for t he aggressor. The boss offered som e
t ype of support t o one wom an and 5 wom en said t hat
t hey did not r eceiv e any suppor t .
Psy ch ological v iolen ce or v er bal abu se w as
t h e m o st f r eq u en t f o r m o f v i o l en ce f o u n d i n t h i s
research: 33% of wom en workers had suffered som e
t y pe of psy chological v iolence, including put dow ns,
y ellin g , v er b al h u m iliat ion an d b ein g an “ ex p iat or y
body” for hum iliat ing t ricks. I n 83% of t he cases t he
aggr ession occu r r ed m or e t h an on ce an d in 2 0 % it
occur r ed all t he t im e.
W h en w e co m p a r e t h ese d a t a w i t h so ci a l
speech, we verify t hat oft en t his t ype of violence was
at t r ibu t ed t o a f em ale boss, r at h er t h an t o a m ale
boss. Th is can be ex plain ed becau se t h e w om an is
t he one w ho, hist or ically, assum es t he com m and of
t h e a c t i v i t i e s r e l a t e d t o m a i n t a i n i n g t h e h o m e ,
including m aking decisions regarding hiring and firing
t h e h ou se ser v an t s. Th is seem s t o be a su bj ect on
w h ich m en h av e lit t le or alm ost n o com m an d an d
int er est . The r eact ion of w om en against t his t y pe of
aggr ession can be ver y diver se. I n differ ent cont ext s
t he sam e w om an can r eact subm issively or act iv ely,
d ep en d i n g o n t h e h i st o r y o f t h e r el at i o n sh i p , t h e
advant ages of t he w or k, and t he life sit uat ion of t he
w om an .
Wom en w h o r espon d act iv ely dem on st r at e,
in t h eir sp eech , a som ew h at v ag u e n ot ion of t h eir
r ight s as cit izens and t he inj ust ice of t he v iolence of
t he boss against t he em ploy ee.
Fear unem ploym ent is a pr eponder ant fact or
w h ich cau ses m an y w om en t o r em ain silen t in t h e
f a ce o f v i o l e n ce i n t h e w o r k p l a ce , e sp e ci a l l y t h e
psychological v iolence. How ev er, in som e speeches it
is evident t hat t he fear of unem ploym ent is not st rong
en ou g h f or t h e w om an t o t oler at e t h e ag g r ession
indefinit ely. Aft er som e t im e t he w om an w ill sear ch
for alt er nat iv es t o escape t his sit uat ion. One w om an
st at ed t hat she quit so as not t o have t o t olerat e t he
v er bal aggr essions of t he boss.
Th e p o ssi b i l i t y o f f o r e se e i n g t h i s t y p e o f
a g g r e ssi o n d o e s n o t se e m t o b e co n si d e r e d : 2 1
wom en agreed t hat t he incident could not have been
foreseen. Also, 88.8% of t he incident s occurred inside
of t he work environm ent and only 3 cases could have
been f or seen .
I m p u n i t y f o r t h i s t y p e o f a g g r e s s i o n i s
an ot h er issu e su g g est ed b y t h e d at a: 7 5 % of t h e
at t ack ed w om en w er e unaw ar e of t he consequences
f or t h e aggr essor. On ly 1 case w as r epor t ed t o t h e
police au t h or it ies. Gen er ally, t h is su ggest s t h at t h e
wom en face t his t ype of aggression as inevit able and
Anot her aspect t hat m ust be considered about
w o m en w o r k er s i n t h e sa l a r y r a n g e sp eci f i ed f o r
inclusion in t he st udy is t hat t hese wom en ent er t heir
in com e as basic su ppor t of t h e f am ily in com e as a
w hole. The w or k in unhealt hy condit ions in a social
cont ext of high unem ploym ent could act as a prot ect ive
fact or r at her t han a r isk fact or for t he use of dr ugs.
Th is p ossib ilit y w as st r en g t h en ed b y t h e r esu lt s of
t h e con t en t an aly sis of t h e on - d ep t h in t er v iew s. 2
wom en report ed m arij uana during t heir m arriage and
pregnancy, alt hough t his use was not in t he year prior
t o t he st udy.
Ret ur ning t o t he issue of t he use of alcohol,
of t h e 1 0 w om en in t er v iew ed 6 r epor t ed occasion al
or r egu lar u se of alcoh ol. Th e qu an t it at iv e dat a did
not reveal a relat ionship bet ween t he variables of work
and alcohol use; how ev er, t he social speech analy sis
showed t hat som e wom en see t he use of t he alcohol
not as a pr oblem in it self, but rat her as a fact or in
relaxat ion and leisure, especially when associat ed wit h
t he com pany of t he husband or a friend.
Pe r so n a l co n t r o l o f t h e u se o f a l co h o l i s
con sider ed a v ir t u e, a “ m oral st r en gt h ”. Th e u se of
drink, when relat ed as som et hing under t ot al cont rol,
is t hen seen as an opt ion and a r ight t o be enj oy ed
aft er t he day or t he week of work.
Wom en w ho w or k and cont r ibut e financially
t o t he m aint enance of t he hom e - especially w om en
w h o ar e t h e sole su ppor t f or t h e f am ily - f eel t h at
“ fr eedom ” im plies t hat she neit her ow es any t hing t o
a n y o n e , n o r m u s t s h e g i v e a n a c c o u n t s o f h e r
behavior. I f she is in or has left an overwhelm ing and
cont rolling affect ive relat ionship, her at t it ude in relat ion
t o t he use of alcohol affir m s her desir e for her r ight
t o f r eedom – f or m an y t im es it h as been a dif f icu lt
v ict or y. Th e r u p t u r e w it h st er eot y p ical “ su b m issiv e
w om an ” can in clu d e t h e u se of alcoh ol as a leg al
m e a n s o f t r e sp a ssi n g t h i s st e r e o t y p e . Th i s i s a
sit uat ion full of am biguit y as t he wom en of t he popular
classes are also t he wom en who are in a sit uat ion of
gr eat er v ulner abilit y for t he dom est ic v iolence.
CONCLUSI ONS
The r elat ionship bet w een w or k and dr ug use
is st ill in adequ at e in Br azil. Th is r esear ch poin t s t o
som e q u est i on s t h at ar e r el ev an t f or t h i s t y p e of
r esear ch .
The rat e of alcohol consum pt ion in wom en in
t h i s st u d y co r r e l a t e d w i t h r a t e s r e p o r t e d i n t h e
l i t e r a t u r e . H o w e v e r, t h i s st u d y sh o w e d t h a t t h e
est ab l i sh m en t o f r i sk f o r ab u se n ¿m u st t ak e i n t o
con sider at ion n ot on ly t est scor es, lik e TWEAK, bu t
also t he t ype of drink consum ed and t he condit ions of
t he consum pt ion. Drug use is a com plex problem and
f or t h e est ab lish m en t of t h e r elat ion sh ip b et w een
w or k p lace an d d r u g u se it is n ecessar y t o id en t if y
ot her variables t hat w ere not included in t he present
st u d y, su ch a s e t h n i ci t y, t y p e o f w o r k , w o r k i n g
condit ions and t he degr ee of w or k- r elat ed st r ess.
Th er e is a m et h odological lim it at ion r elat ed
t o ob t ain in g a r an d om ized p r ob ab ilist ic sam p le of
w om en w orkers in popular com m unit ies. This t ype of
st u d y m u st se a r ch a l t e r n a t i v e s f o r d e f i n i n g t h e
sam ple; for ex am ple, dr aw ing t he sam ple only fr om
wom en who reside at t heir place of work. I n t his way
t h e u n i on s an d associ at i on s r ep r esen t at i v e of t h e
w o r k er s w o u l d b e ab l e t o p r o v i d e l eg i t i m acy an d
oper at ional v iabilit y for t he collect ion of dat a.
The inclusion of a com parison group of m ale
w or k er s w ould assist in t he ident ificat ion of specific
q u est i o n s o f g en d er an d ex t en d t h e sco p e o f t h e
an al y ses.
I n r e g a r d s t o t h e u se o f l i ci t d r u g s, t h e
r elat ion sh ip b et w een t y p e of w or k an d t h e u se of
anx iolit ics, bar bit ur at es and ot her dr ugs needs t o be
under st ood. I n t he sam e w ay, t he use of cigar et t es
should not be under st ood only in t er m s of “ y es” or
“ no”, but also in t erm s of what t ype of cigaret t e, how
m uch is sm ok ed and t he t y pe of r elat ion est ablished
w it h t he t obacco.
Fin ally, in v est ig at in g t h e u se of d r u g s in a
sam ple of dism issed w om en w ill assist in delineat ing
t he r ole of em ploy m ent as a fact or t hat im pact s on
t he use and abuse of subst ances.
ACKNOW LEDGEMENTS
We ar e grat eful t o t he I nt er- Am er ican Dr ug
A b u s e Co n t r o l Co m m i s s i o n / CI CA D , t h e OA S
Sch olaish ip Pr ogr am , t h e Gov er n m en t of Japan , all
Facult y of t he Univ er sit y of Alber t a/ Canada, and t he
e l e v e n r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m t h e s e v e n La t i n
-A m e r i c a n c o u n t r i e s t h a t p a r t i c i p i t e d i n t h e “ I
I nt er nat ional Resear ch Pr ogr am ”, im plem ent ed at t he
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