Apreensão das zonas de sentido da atividade de trabalho da diarista

Abstract

This article analyzes the process of signification of daily hired housekeepers’ work activity. Twelve semi structured interviews were carried out and their narratives were systematized through the meaning cores technique. The results indicate that the narratives were organized within six articulating cores. They comprehend aspects related to: (1) the women’s life story, particularly the choice of said activity; (2) work environment relationships, revealing zones of sense that concern instability and ambivalence, specially towards their peers and employees; (3) the dimension of the autonomy and freedom inherent to this occupation; (4) the activity’s objective and sources of meaning; (5) the precariousness and uncertainty, reflecting the traits of informal labor; (6) the difficulties regarding the performance of the activity, as well as the creation process and utilization of coping strategies, or instruments and tools required to execute the work. The daily hired female housekeepers share a history of child labor, marked by an intense diversified work routine that enables their survival and coping with daily situations that demand creativity, flexibility and adaptation.