Psycho-social aspects of women's unemployment: discussions from an empirical study in southern Brazil

Unemployment rates among women have historically been higher than men's, disclosing specificities in their social insertion labor-wise. This research aims at identifying such particularities, considering historical, social, and economical parameters, as well as the psycho-social dimensions of a group of jobless women. This study aims at contributing to the analysis of profile changes in women's unemployment, emphasizing the distinct analysis of gender, through data provided by 420 subjects, focus groups, and interviews. Data yielded by the study suggests modifications to traditional paradigms which attribute the exclusion from the work market of women to women's poor qualification and twofold function - as women and mothers. Data also revealed difficulties for young, single women with intermediate education levels.