Maternity and paternity leave in Brazil: Rights and social inequalities

Abstract

This article aims to examine the existing social inequalities in access to maternity and paternity leave, based on data from the Annual National Continuous Household Sampling Survey of 2017, conducted by IBGE. For this purpose, the percentages of contribution to social security, a necessary condition for obtaining licenses, were studied in relation to the following variables: Type of occupation and employment link, gender, color or race, income, educational level and age, for the employed population aged 16 - 49. Results indicated that access to leave policies in the country is impacted by multiple social stratification, revealing gender, class, race and age inequalities. Research findings allow us to reflect on the relationship between these inequalities and the design of such policies in Brazil. Due to their contributory nature, maternity and paternity leaves express continuities of a “regulated citizenship”, instead of becoming a universal right of citizens.