Black Brazilians earn 36 percent less than non-black citizens
Xinhua
RIO DE JANEIRO– Brazilians of African descent on average earn 36 percent less than non-black Brazilians, according to a study released Wednesday by the Inter-Union Department for Statistics and Economic Studies.
Released a week before the country’s Black Awareness Day, the research found that black workers in Brazil with less than a middle school education earn an average of 5.27 reals (2.27 U.S. dollars) an hour, while non-black workers earn an average of 6.46 reals (2.78 U.S. dollars), a gap of 18.5 percent.
The gap is wider among workers with college degrees, with black Brazilians earning an average of 17.39 reals (7.49 U.S. dollars) per hour — 40 percent less than non-black workers with college degrees, who earn an average of 29.03 reals (12.51 U.S. dollars) per hour.
The study also suggests that more black Brazilians work in jobs that require fewer qualifications, such as domestic work and entry-level positions in the construction industry.
The wage gap between black workers and non-black workers is present regardless of region, type of job, industry, or level of schooling. In addition, the study found that both job opportunities and leadership positions are less available to black Brazilians, meaning black workers find it more difficult to get a job and more difficult to advance in their careers.
While 18.1 percent of non-black workers achieve positions of leadership, only 3.7 percent of black workers are hired for those jobs in the first place.
“The rise in education levels improves skills among the black population, but does not bridge the gap, because we found more inequalities among workers with a college education,” said Lucia Garcia, the study’s coordinator.
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Even with education equivalent to that of non-blacks, the black and mulatto population have lower average incomes. This study is part of Blacks at Work, which examines the relationship between color and performance in six metropolitan regions and the Federal District, based on information from the PED system.
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Brazil’s 2010 census showed African-Brazilians in the majority for the first time
97 million Brazilians, or 50.7% of the population, now define themselves as black, compared with 91 million or 47.7% who label themselves white.
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Video: Brazil, an African Heritage
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November 6, 2013
Brazil’s President Wants Racial Quotas For Government Jobs
Associated Press
Brazil’s president says she’ll ask congress to pass legislation to reserve 20 percent of the nation’s government jobs for blacks.
About half of Brazil’s 204 million people are black — more than in any nation except Nigeria.
Blacks face persistent socio-economic inequality in Brazil, and President Dilma Rousseff says her proposal will help reverse that. She says “affirmative action is essential” for creating equal opportunities.
There is no word on when congress might begin debating the proposal.
Rousseff also said Tuesday that by the end of next year, her government will have sent a doctor to each of Brazil’s more than 3,500 “quilombos.” Those are settlements founded by descendants of Brazil’s enslaved Africans.
Brazil had more enslaved African land on its shores than any other country in the Americas.
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Video: President Dilma sends to Congress project that creates racial quotas for public jobs
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Video: President Dilma’s entire speech
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Video: São Paulo -A world mega city
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Video: About São Paulo -Brazil’s largest city
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Video: Rio de Janeiro- site of the 2016 Olympics
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