From “A Foot in the Kitchen” to “A Foot in the Door”: the PEC das Domésticas in Brazil and its Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

This work evaluates the PEC das Domésticas of 2013 and the history leading up to its passage. The paper examines the political discourse surrounding the constitutional amendment (PEC), both within Brasilia and in the national dialogue. The passage of the PEC is contextualized using a review of relevant academic literature on the topic of domestic work, its history, and its socioeconomic importance in Brazil, combined with a cursory political history of Brazil. It identifies key actors (namely Benedita da Silva) and institutional supporters (the International Labor Organization) in the advocacy and discourse surrounding the PEC, which illustrates the PEC’s importance as symbolic politics that characterized a critical juncture in Brazil’s economy and national imaginary. Lastly, the work evaluates the passage of the PEC in terms of its actual enforcement in the current economic context and of its relation to prior milestones and ambitions of the domestic worker’s movement.