“Quem traz no corpo a marca, Maria, Maria”: os impactos da fome nas trajetórias das mulheres em situação de rua

Abstract

Brazilian social development, based on racism and violence, reproduces dependent capitalism, causing even greater inequalities. These are increasingly accentuated due to the concentration of income and land in the hands of a few. In this scenario, hunger and homelessness have become a reality for many Brazilians. Women are subjected to even greater violations that intersect social markers. The city of Fortaleza, immersed in its contradictions, while representing the most developed capital in the Northeast, ranks fifth among cities with the most homeless people in Brazil. The intersection of such vulnerabilities, extreme poverty, homelessness, hunger, and the socially imposed place of women, has direct consequences on the lives of a portion of society. The question then arises: how does hunger impact the life trajectories of homeless women in the city of Fortaleza? Thus, the overall objective of this research is to understand how hunger impacts the life trajectories of homeless women in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará. Thus, the overall objective of the research is to understand how hunger impacts the life trajectories of homeless women in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará. The specific objectives are to map the trajectories of homeless women; analyze the meanings of hunger for homeless women; and identify ways in which women on the streets resist hunger. To meet these objectives, the qualitative research was conducted at Casa da Sopa, a partner institution of the Community Psychology Center (NUCOM), which plays a fundamental role in assisting the homeless population. Women over the age of 18 who were homeless or recovering from homelessness, who had lived on the streets for at least six months, and who participated in some activity at Casa da Sopa participated in the research. The methodological tools were participant observation and semi-structured interviews. Participant observations took place in the women's group, Madalenas, developed by Casa da Sopa in partnership with NUCOM, and during the distribution of meals at lunchtime. For analysis, the data were submitted, with the help of Atlas Ti software, to Thematic Content Analysis. The categories analyzed were life trajectories and arrival on the streets; being a woman on the streets; hunger

Abstract

and food; and multidimensional poverty. In this way, it was possible to understand, based on the women's life stories, that poverty and difficulties in acquiring food were always present in their trajectories, influencing dimensions such as health, education, work and income, the subjective dimension, and human rights. In this way, hunger creates absences and silences, but finds ways of coping and solidarity in the community.