In Brazil, young mothers leave school and labor market

Criado em 29/11/13 16h33 e atualizado em 29/11/13 16h34
Por Flávia Villela Fonte:Agência Brasil

Rio de Janeiro – From a number of perspectives, Brazil has become a better country for young people to live in than it was ten years ago. The reality faced by the nation, however, still poses a more difficult challenge to girls. This is the conclusion drawn by a study entitled “Synthesis of Social Indicators – An Analysis of the Living Conditions of Brazilians”, published on Friday (Nov. 29) by the Brazilian Statistics Institute (“IBGE”). The survey draws data from the National Household Sample Survey (“PNAD”).

According to the report, one out of five Brazilians aging from 15 to 29 did not work or go to school in 2012, 70% of whom females. This group encompasses 9.6 million people and is more strongly represented by people from 18-24 years old: 23.4%. Teenagers (15-17 years old) account for 9.4% of this group.

Furthermore, 58.4% of the women in this group have at least one child. This number grows alongside their age: 30% for 15- to 17-year-old girls, 51.6% for 18-24, 74.1% for 25-29.

Thayane dos Santos, 19, mother of 2-year-old Carlos, lives in her mother’s house with her two brothers. She graduated from high school, but does not study or work. “I’ve got nobody to take care of [Carlos], because my mother works and my brothers go to school. There’s no public day care centers near our house and the job opportunities I found offered very low pay; I wouldn’t be able to afford having someone taking care of him.” Thayane explained, after saying she was given a chance to work at a family’s house and at a store, but she declined both because of her son.

According to Ana Lúcia Saboia, coordinator-general of the survey, one cannot ascertain a a straightforward relation between having a child and not working or going to school. “We need a better day care network, for example. We women know how difficult it is to juggle work and children,” she said.

Edited by Beto Coura / Olga Bardawil
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira