Boys and girls in the Brazilian labor force

This investigation focuses on male and female child laborers of ages 10--14 and 15--17 and examines the social and employment conditions of these boys and girls in the Brazilian workforce. The central question is whether the social conditions and employment factors of boys and girls in the labor force are related to different kinds of exploitation. The exploitation labor model is grounded in two societal pillars: the capitalist mode of production and the ideology of patriarchy. The data has been drawn from PNAD---the National Household Sample Survey of Brazil, 1996 and includes individual, family and employment variables. Indicators are used to examine combinations of child labor exploitation: the basic exploitation, the overworked child, and the over-exploited children. The statistics examine the likelihood of association among selected variables and child labor exploitation indicators. The results suggest that out of all children who work, 24% start before the age of 10. A smaller percentage of adults, 17%, started work at the same age. Out of all children employed, 35% do not attend school, 50% work 40 or more hours, 36% do not get paid, and 42% are not registered. Among those attending school, 25% work full time, and 33% attend school but work 15 hours plus doing household chores. Among over-exploited children, 26% do not attend school and work full time; 17% do not attend school and are not registered; 9% do not study, work part time and more and are unpaid. This investigation examines also the potential consequences of labor exploitation on children's intellectual and health development.