It is necessary, as always, to note the precarious nature of the statistical information available on social issues in Brazil, as well as the importance of using these data to structure human rights policies. The most recent data available are from 1996, with the exception of some more recent figures on health from 2000. These data are relevant to the analysis of women s rights because they indicate that poverty represents a greater burden upon women. Despite increased participation in the labor market, women still suffer discrimination and earn less money than men in the same job. Women make up the majority of the underemployed, as well as the informal sectors of the economy, especially in the domestic service sector.
Domestic work continues to be the principal source of employment for women.
In the formal sector, women generally receive significantly less money than men for the same job. Access to proper training is also more difficult for women than for men. While women are preferred in part-time domestic work, this cannot be considered a benefit since these positions ordinarily include no regular benefits. Despite the increasing number of women heads of households, this position does not favor them. Rather, this is one of the reasons for the increasing feminization of poverty .