Valuing Household Services in Brazil: A Comparison of Paid and Unpaid Care

Simone Wajnman, Centro de Desenvolvimento e Planejamento Regional (CEDEPLAR)
Jordana Jesus, UFRN
Cassio Turra, UFMG
Fátima Guerra, Departamento Intersindical de Estatística e Estudos Socioeconômicos (Dieese)
Thiago Almeida, Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics (CED)

This study aims to examine paid and unpaid home care in Brazil, focusing on the differences between various income levels. We have developed a methodology to integrate data from two major Brazilian surveys, the Pesquisa de Orçamento Familiares (POF) and the Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios (PNAD), to obtain a more comprehensive view of care provision in a context marked by significant inequalities. We estimate the mean values of paid care using POF. For PNAD data, we adjust reported time use for unpaid care activities using indirect standardization methods, ensuring a more accurate reflection of hours spent on those activities. Our preliminary findings indicate that paid care is primarily used by higher-income families, while unpaid care remains a significant component of the care economy. Paid services are almost nonexistent for households up to the 75th income percentile. Also, the consumption of paid services increases almost exponentially among the wealthiest 10% of households. By quantifying these dynamics, this study contributes to a better understanding of the socioeconomic factors that influence care provision and highlights the importance of policies that recognize and support all forms of care as essential components of social and economic infrastructure in Brazil.

Keywords: Economic Demography, Gender Dynamics, Families, Unions and Households

See paper.