Internet access and use of ICTs by domestic workers in São Paulo
The project sought to identify the habits and use of Information and Communication Technologies by domestic workers. The focus on this section of the population, which is disproportionately affected by gender, race and class inequalities, was intended to strengthen non-voice feminist activism.
In Brazil, we have important research that seeks to identify habits and uses of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Such investigations can support public policies aimed at expanding Internet access by identifying inequalities and even promote actions based on the diagnosis regarding the use of ICTs by the population.
The gender perspective in examining these indicators (and even producing them) is relatively recent. Understanding that such a perspective is essential for designing effective policies and actions that guarantee the right to communication, information, and even social mobilization, this project aims to qualify the use and appropriation of ICTs by women in the city of São Paulo. To do so, we have chosen a specific group among them: domestic workers.
The focus on this segment of the population, which disproportionately faces gender, race, and class inequalities, and the production of a diagnosis on access and use of ICTs are also important for strengthening non-vocal feminist activism.
The project was carried out in partnership with the Rede de Conhecimento Social (Social Knowledge Network) – an organization specialized in conducting participatory qualitative research through the ResearchAction method – and Consult Pesquisas – responsible for the quantitative phase of the investigation in the Metropolitan Region. The results were summarized in this blog publication, and the full report is available and can be accessed here.
The numbers and information presented address the forms and habits of internet access by these workers, the uses they make (entertainment, searching for health information, educational materials, news), levels of trust and concerns about security, privacy, the impact that the internet has on their work and income opportunities, political and community mobilization, and respect for their online rights. This group disproportionately faces gender, race, and social class inequalities, and it is essential to produce data for designing effective policies and actions that take these perspectives into account.