Employment conditions and health inequities: a case study of Brazil.
This paper was prepared for the Employment Conditions and Health Inequalities Knowledge Network (EMCONET), part of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. We describe the Brazilian context of employment conditions, labor conditions and health, their characteristics and causal relationships. The social, political and economic factors that influence these relationships are also presented with an emphasis on social inequalities, and how they are reproduced within the labor market and thereby affect the health and wellbeing of workers. A literature review was conducted in SciELO, LILACS, Google and Google Scholar, MEDLINE and the CAPES Brazilian thesis database. We observed that there are more workers operating in the informal sector than in the formal sector and these former have no social insurance or any other social benefits. Work conditions and health are poor in both informal and formal enterprises since health and safety labor norms are not effective. The involvement of social movements and labor unions in the elaboration and management of workers' health polices and programs with universal coverage, is a promising initiative that is underway nationwide.
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Alfredo Balena 190, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. bethdias@medicina.ufmg.br
Elizabeth Costa
EC
Dias
Roberval Passos de
RP
Oliveira
Jorge H
JH
Machado
Carlos
C
Minayo-Gomez
Marco Antonio Gomes
MA
Perez
Maria da Graça L
Mda G
Hoefel
Vilma Sousa
VS
Santana
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004651:Employment / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016272:Occupational Health; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D055815:Young Adult