Life narratives of women in rural settlements during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: to reflect on the ethnographic material produced on the basis of the narratives of 19 women living in rural settlements during the Covid-19 pandemic, using the qualitative life story method. Content: analysis of the material obtained from field diary records provided food for thought on various aspects of the vulnerability of women in settlements. Their health care and health maintenance solutions included mutual help, as well as using both traditional and popular knowledge, and the health facilities in the towns where they lived. Final considerations: digital communication tools made it possible to conduct interviews at a distance, bypassing the social distancing imposed by the pandemic. Understanding their life stories and care experiences in the pandemic revealed this group’s social vulnerability and the need for nursing care services to be more receptive to their demands in the healthcare system.