The The perception of class consciousness of black and brown entrepreneurs in the periphery of São Paulo

Abstract

In the last decade, research on the subject of female entrepreneurship has increased substantially. Based on this academic interest, we sought to investigate the perception of entrepreneurship among peripheral women in the city of São Paulo, through a racial and demographic segmentation of their relations with entrepreneurship. Using data collection techniques with in-depth interviews with a semi-structured questionnaire, and sampling by means of the snowball technique and content analysis, it was observed that many times the daily experience of a black or brown female entrepreneur differs from the entrepreneurship that is propagated in books and auditoriums. The sample was made up of 24 women, black or mixed race, aged between 19 and 76, residents of the outskirts of the East, North and South zones of São Paulo. Obstacles such as lack of infrastructure, lack of government interest in investing in health and education, food insecurity, early pregnancy, solo motherhood, responsibility as the only or main financial source in the support of their families, lack of leisure options, feelings of loneliness and isolation, add to the problems usually encountered by those seeking to start an enterprise. It was also observed that many of these women do not recognize themselves as "entrepreneurs", but rather as someone who has started an alternative income generating enterprise out of basic primary needs: food for their dependents and for themselves, shelter, clothing. A point of unanimity found in our study group was the will to transform their reality and their community by working and hiring people who live there. All the women interviewed declared that they prioritize giving opportunities to other mothers or women with a profile similar to their own. This work aims to highlight the work of these women, and starting from their own points of view, and detail the differences between "auditorium entrepreneurship" and the so-called self-made man and the reality of the struggle for the basics for survival faced by these women in their daily lives. The results of the research lead to the conclusion that it is necessary to promote and foster investments and incentives in the peripheral regions, as well as recognize and value the ability of these women to create businesses, generate income, and promote change and growth in their communities.