The position of women in the Brazilian society has improved in ten years; inequalities in relation to men remain high, though. Despite the decrease from 22.3 to 21.1 in the number of hours dedicated to household tasks per week, women still accumulate 5 hours’ work more than men. That happens because the working hours of women have remained at 35.5 per week, whereas for men that figure decreased from 44.0 to 41.6. At the same time, men have kept 10 weekly hours dedicated to household chores (less than half the time women do). Nevertheless, it is possible to see an increase in the percentage of employed men who performed household tasks, with a change from 46.1% in 2004 to 51.3% in 2014. This percentage among employed women in 2014 was 90.7%, very close to the 2004 figure (91.3%). In spite of the 10.9% decrease in female unemployment between 2004 and 2014, women are still the second population group with the highest unemployment rate (8.7%), being youngsters the number one (16.6%). Young women are those facing the greatest difficulties to enter the job market: one out of every five young women is unemployed (20.8%).

That is presented in the Summary of Social Indicators (SIS): an analysis of the Brazilian population life conditions 2015, which systematizes a group of information of the social scenario of Brazil, with analyses of its demographic aspects, socio-demographic groups (children and teenagers, youngsters, elderly persons and families), education, work, income distribution and housing units.

In terms of earnings, the study shows there has been decrease of gender inequality in the decade. In 2004, employed women earned, on average, 70.0% of men’s earnings. In 2014, that figure changed to 74.0%. The biggest difference was observed among women in informal activities, who earned an average 50% of men's earnings. Compared with men in the same conditions, the relation was almost 60%.

Since 2008, changes have led the black and brown population to surpass half the total residents in Brazil, but racial inequalities remain, as shown reported by SIS. With regard to education, for example, the proportion of black and brown students in higher education in 2014 was 45.5%, versus 16.7% in 2004. Among white persons, there was a change from 47.2% to 71.4%. That is, the percentage of black and brown persons taking higher education in 2014 was still smaller than the percentage of white students ten years before. Among youngsters aged 15 to 29 who were not working or studying, 62.9% were black or brown.

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Demographic aspects: fertility rate fell 18.6% in ten years:

The Brazilian fertility rate fell from 2.14 to 1.74 children per women in 2014, a decrease of 18.6%. The highest fertility rate in 2014 (specific fertility rate, that is, the ratio between the number of children born alive and the number of women in each age group) was that of women aged 20-24 (91.9 children per one thousand women), corresponding to 26.5% of the fertility in 2014. In the last ten years, teenage fertility (from 15 to 19 years of age) fell from 78.8% to 60.5 children per one thousand women, but the participation of this group in total fertility remained high (17.4%). Among youngsters aged 15 to 19 who had live births, 35.8% lived in the Northeast Region, 65.9% were 18 or 19 years of age, 69.0% were black or brown, with an average 7.7 years of schooling. Only 20.1% of them were studying and 59.7% were not either working or studying.

In Brazil, the total dependency ratio (indicator which measures the proportion of economically-dependent persons, that is, youngsters up to 15 years of age and elderly persons aged 60 and over, in comparison with potentially-active persons, aged 15 to 59) changed from 58.3 economically-active persons per each one hundred persons at working age, in 2004, to 54.7, in 2014. There was significant decrease in the dependency ratio of youngsters, with a change from 43.0 in 2004 to 33.5 in 2014; at the same time, for the elderly, the indicator rose from 15.3 to 21.2, as a result of the decrease of fertility and the increase of ageing (persons 60 and over made up 9.7% in 2004, and 13.7% in 2014).

Sociodemographic Groups:19.2% of the children and teenagers aged up to 14 in the North Region lived in poor sanitary conditions

When the three forms of sanitation (water, sewer or waste) are simultaneously inadequate in the housing unit, the population is more exposed to diseases. In 2014, such conditions were faced by 9.6% of the children and teenagers aged up to 14, being more serious in the North (19.2%) and Northeast (16.6%). The most common problem was the absence of a general sewage system or aof a septic tank, which had reached 53.7% of the children and teenagers in 2004, and fell to 44.3% in 2014.

Between 2004 and 2014, there was increase from 59.3% to 67.0% of the proportion of persons aged 15 to 17 who were only studying. As a result, the proportion of persons who were stdying and working decreased considerably, from 22.6% to 17.3%. In the group aged 15 to 29, one out of every five youngsters was not either attending school or working, and that proportion did not record significant change in relation to 2004. In the group aged 15 to 17, the proportion was 9.9%; among those aged 18 to 24, 23.6%; and among youngsters 25 to 29 years of age, 21.4%.

Considering youngsters aged 15 to 29 who were not working or studying (20.0%), 45.6% lived in the North or Northeast, 69.2% were women - and 58.1% of them had children-, 62.9% were black or brown, 47.5% were categorized as children in the housing unit and 46.8% had complete higher education or a higher level of schooling. Besides, 91.5% of the women in this condition did household tasks, spending an average 28.6 hours a week on them. Among men, the proportion was 43.9%, with an average 11.5 hours per week spent on this type of activity.

66.4% of the earnings of elderly persons came from pensions or retirement benefits

Between 2004 and 2014, the proportion of elderly persons retired and also employed in the week of reference fell from 18.7% to 16.4%. Pensions or retirement benefits composed the main source of earnings of persons aged 60 and over (66.4%), though work was also an important source (29.3%).

The schooling of elderly persons (aged 60 and over) changed from 3.5 years in 2004 to 4.8 years in 2014. The proportion of elderly persons with nine or more years of schooling increased significantly, having changed from 12.7% in 2004 to 20.7% in 2014. The proportion of those with less than one year of schooling fell from 36.5% to 27.3%).

Participation of women as a reference person increases among couples

The total number of family and unipersonal arrangements increased from 56.4 million in 2004 to 70.2 million in 2014. The most common type of family arrangement was a couple with children, but there was decrease of this indicator: from 51.0% in 2004 to 42.9% in 2014. The arrangement formed by a couple without children was the second in terms of participation (with increase from 14.7% to 19.9%), whereas the proportion of arrangements formed by a woman without a partner and with children fell in terms of participation (from 18.3% to 16.3%). In the same period, the participation of unipersonal arrangements increased from 10.0% to 14.4%.

In arrangements formed by a couple with children, there was a decrease from 67.7% to 54.9% in 2014 of those with the man as reference perso. There was ann increase of arrangements in which the woman was appointed as reference person, with a change from 3.6% in 2004 to 15.1% in 2014. Relative increase of arrangements in which the latter was also observed in arrangements formed by a couple without resident children (3.4% in 2004 to 10.9% in 2014).

'Kangaroo generation' has a higher level of schooling than the average population aged 25 to 34

The proportion of persons aged 25 to 34 categorized as children in the family arrangement (that is, persons who lived with at least one of their parents), called the kangaroo generation, changed from 21.2% in 2004 to 24.3% in 2014. A total 59.0% of them were men, 50.9% were black or brown and 47.0% lived in the Southeast. The employment-population ratio of the Kangaroo generation was 76.2%, whereas for other persons at the same age bracket who did not live with their parents it was 77.7%. Persons in the kangaroo generation had more schooling: 34.9% ahad t least incomplete higher education. Their average schooling was 10.7 years and 13.6% were still studying. For those who did not live with their parents, the indicators show smaller figures: 20.3% had incomplete higher education; their average schooling was 9.7 years and 7.5% were still studying.

DINC couples, that is, those with double income and no children, amounted to 4.3% of the couples in 2004, and in 2014 they made up 6.7%. Considering the participation of DINC couples in overall couples without children, that figure rises to 20.4% in 2014.

Education:from 2004 to 2014, the percentage of persons 20 to 22 who had finished high school rose from 45.5% to 60.8%

The schooling rate of persons 0 to 3 and 4 and 5 years of age increased from 13.4% and 61.5% in 2004 to 24.6% and 82.7% in 2014. In the period, there was decrease of inequality of access to school among the groups of monthly household earnings per capita. The difference between the percentage of children aged 4 and 5 attending school in the richest quintile and in the poorest quintile fell to half, with a change from 33.5 percentage points to 16.6 percentage points in 2014.

There were improvements in the combination between age and the school levels analyzed throughout the years. The net school attendance rate (proportion of persons who were attending the right grade according to their age) in the final years of elementary school (grades 6 to 9) changed from 72.5% to 78.3%. In high school, there was increase was from 49.4% to 58.6%.

The rate of high school completion (proportion of persons aged 20 to 22 who finished high school) changed from 45.5% in 2004 to 60.8% in 2014. The difference between men and women was 12.0 percentage points, being 54.9% for men and 66.9% for women. The difference was even bigger in the comparison between white youngsters (71.7%) and black or brown ones (52.6%), 19.1 percentage points.

A total 45.5% of the black and brown students aged 18 to 24 attended higher education in 2014, a percentage below that of White persons in 2004 (47.2%)

With regart to education, the proportion of black and brown students aged 18 to 24 in higher education in 2014 was 45.5%, versus 16.7% in 2004. For the white population, this proportion changed from 47.2% in 2004 to 71.4% in 2014. That is, the percentage of black and brown persons in 2014 was still smaller than the percentage of white ones in higher education ten years before.

In spite of this difference in terms of color or race, there is a trend to more dem ocratic access to higher education. In 2004, in public education, 1.2% of the higher education students belonged to the poorest quintile in terms of per capita household earnings, with a change to 7.6% in 2014. In private education, this proportion changed from 0.6% to 3.4%.

Labor: Youth unemployment increases from 14.8% to 16.6% in 2014

Whereas the economically-active population (PEA, persons who were working or searching for work) aged 16 to 24 fell by 11.7% in ten years, there was increase in the group 25 years old and over, notably among those 50 and over (53.0%). The non-participation of youngsters in the labor market can be seen as an investment. However, in 2014, 69.5% of the non-economically active population (PNEA) was formed by women, 52.9% had no schooling or only incomplete primary school; 21.4% were aged 16 to 24 and 52.8% were 50 and over. Besides, 58.1% of the women aged 15 to 29 years of age who did not study or work had at least one child.

The dynamics of the economically-active population (PEA) aged 16 to 24 in the last ten years indicates that youngsters have increased their participation in the labor market in the periods of economic deceleration, in an attempt to contribute to family income. That does not necessarily mean employment, because between 2013 and 2014 there was increase of the PEA aged 16 to 24 by 2.7%, but in this same group the unemployment rate changed from 14.8% to 16.6%.

From 2004 to 2014, the increase of PEA in the group aged 50 and over (53.0%) was a little bigger than the change of the overall population in this age bracket, PIA (52.2%), which shows bigger participation of the older population in the labor market. Increase of the employed population (54.3%) was even bigger than that of PEA and PIA. In this age group the unemployment rate faced its biggest decrease in ten years (-25.6%).

From 2004 to 2014, the increase of PEA in the group aged 50 and over (53.0%) was a little bigger than the change recorded by the population in this age bracket, PIA (52.2%), which shows bigger participation of the older population in the labor market. Increase of the employed population (54.3%) was even bigger than considering PEA and PIA. In this age group the unemployment rate faced its biggest decrease in ten years (-25.6%).

Nine out of every ten employed women performed domestic tasks

The female population at working age (16 years of age and over) increased 20.1% between 2004 and 2014, with a bigger percentage than men (19.3%). The change of the employed population in the labor market (PEA) was 18.2%, relatively bigger than that of the male population (14.4%), as a result of the exit of men from PEA. Although the non-economically active population is mostly female (69.4%), the biggest change was recorded in the male group (42.1%), almost twice as the change in the female PNEA (22.7%). The increase of female participation in the labor market is also evidenced by the change in the employed population (21.9%), whereas the increase of the male population was 16.3%.

In 2014, 90.7% of the employed women performed domestic tasks, in a similar scenario as that of 2004 (91.3%), showing that the bigger participation of women in the labor market does not mean replacement of the activities performed by them. The number of employed men who performed household tasks in the last decade increased 29.3%, whereas in the female population this change was 21%.

In 2014, 4.0 million women aged 16 and over were unemployed, with a decrease of 10.9% in relation to 2004. In spite of the decrease of 10.9% in female unemployment between 2004 and 2014, women are still the second population group with the highest unemployment rate (8.7%), only second to youngsters (16.6%). As a result, young women are those who have more difficulty to enter the job market; one out of every five young women is unemployed (20.8%).

In spite of the high level of unemployment among women, there has been improvement in quality. In this decade, the number of women employed in formal activities (with an employment contract, domestic workers with an employment contract, military, civil servants, self-employed workers and employess who paid social security) increased 60.0%, whereas in the male population, this change totaled 43.6%. On the other hand, there was decrease of the number of persons employed in informal activities (7.6%). This increase of formality affects the indicator of real evolution, considering that women had the biggest gains in the decade (34.2% versus 26.1% of men).

Between 2004 and 2014, the proportion of the population aged 16 and over employed in formal activities increased 26.3%, having changed from 45.7% to 57.5%. However, in 2014, there was slight decrease in relation to the previous year, for the employed female population, the percentage of which changed from 57.3% to 56.5%.

In spite of the increase of formalization of the employed persons, regional inequalities remain. The Northeast Region keeps the lowest rate (39.6%), but recorded the biggest change in the period (43.1%). The South Region has 68.2% of its employed persons in formal activities, with a change of 29.4% in relation to 2004.

Only one out of every four workers without a formal contract contributes to social security individually

In 2014, domestic workers without a formal employment totaled 4.3 million persons aged 16 and over and accounted for the lowest social contribution (14.0%), although this percentage had more than doubled in a period of ten years. Besides, between 2013 and 2014, there was increase of almost 18% in the percentage of domestic workers without a formal contract contributing to social security individually.

About 92% of the domestic workers are women. So, considering this category, only, it was observed that the proportion of domestic workers aged 16 and over, with a formal contract and who contributed to social security individually increased significantly in the last 10 years (from 27.8% in 2004, to 40.3%, in 2014). An analysis of the proportion of contributors by number of hours worked, with approximate information on those who are hourly maids (up to 39 hours worked per week) and monthly paid maids (40 hours or more), it was possible to observe that the contribution rate for those working 40 hours or more (56.8% contributed to a social security institute) was not only higher, but twice as that with hours below 40 hours a week (23.2% were contributors). There was increase of 19.4% in the proportion of contributors of monthly paid maids; however, in terms of percent change, the increase was higher for domestic workers working less than 40 hours a week (73.0%), which occurred especially from 2009 on.

The second category with the lowest rate of participation in the General Social Security System is workers without a formal contract (24.0%), which changed by almost 103% in the period. Among self-employed workers, only 27.7% contributed to social security, which represented a change of 91.5% in the decade.

In 2004, the percentage of white persons in informal activities was 47.0%, whereas among black or brown ones it was 62.7%. In 2014, these percentages fell by 11.7 and 14.3 percentage points, respectively, but show that a significant part of the black or brown population is still in informal occupations (48.4%).

Women in informal activities earned half of the salary of those in formal ones

The average real earnings of the employed population had an increase of 44.1% between 2004 and 2014, with a change from R$ 1,197.00 to R$ 1,725.00. The increase was most significant for the population in informal activities (51.7%), mainly in the case of women (56.6%). The smallest increase was that of the male population in formal activities (26.1%).

In 2004, employed women earned, on average, 70% of the earning of men., and this figure changed to 74% in 2014. In formal activities, there was less inequality (77%).  The biggest difference was observed among women in informal activities, who earned an average of 50% of men's earnings. Compared with men in the same conditions, the relation was almost 60%.

In 2014, the average hourly earnings of persons with 12 or more years of schooling was R$ 27.50, which corresponded to 3.8 times the hourly earning of the employed population with almost four years of schooling; in 2004, this figure was 5.3 vezes. In the period, the increase of the averagwe hourly earning of the employed oopulation with up to four years of dchooling was 76.3%, whereas among the most educated ones, the proportion was 76.3%, whereas among the ones with a highest level of schooling, the change was 25.1%.

In the beginning of the decade, in the population with up to four years of schooling, the hourly income of women accounted for 79.0% of that of men; in 2014, that changed to 78.0%. For the population with 5 to 8 ears of schooling, this figure increased from 71.0% to 76.0%. In the group with 9 to 11 years of schooling, it rose from 67.0% to 73.0%  and in the group with the biggest schooling, with 12 or more years of schooling, that changed from 61.0% to 66.0%.

In 2004, the average yield from all the activities of persons with the highest earnings (10%) was 16.2 times the average yield from all the Works of persons with the smallest income (40%) and, in 2014, this ratio ghanged to 11.6. In the period, the avesage earnings from all the activities of the population with the lowest earnings (40%) increased by 200.2%; whereas among the employed population with the biggest distribution, there was incresae of  115.2%. As a result, in the labor Market,the real increase of the average earnings of the population grough a reductionon inequality between the strata.

Working hours of men who perform domestic tasks are less than half the hours spent by women on the same tasks

The working hours of men and women in paid and unpaid work changed little in the last few years. In the case of the employed female population, hours in the job Market remained at 35.5 weekly hours and, in husehold taks there was slight decrease, from 22.3 weekly hours to 21.2 hours. In the case of men, paid working fell by 2.4 hours, having changed from 44.0 to 41.6 weekly hours. However, the hours of men who did household tasks remained at 10 weekly hours, less than half the hours worked by women. As a result, the total hours of women which, in 2004, outnumbered the hours of men by 4.1 weekly hours, changed to 5.0 hours. In 2004, the percentage of women aged 25 and over in directing positions was 4.6%, whereas in the male population this proportion was 6.8%. In 2014, there was slight reduction of inequality, with proportions reaching 5.0% and 6.6%, respectively. Besides, women in these positions earned, on the average, 70.0% of the income of men in similar working conditions, That shows small decrease of inequality since, in 2004, this raton was 67.0%.

Income distribution: Black or brown persons made up 53.6% of the population, and also 76% of the persons among the 10% with the lowest earnings

The percentage of total earnings of the 10% with the biggest earnings was equivalent to 4.3 times the percentage of appropriate total earnings of the 40% with the smallest earnings in 2004 and 3.1 times in 2014 - a reduction of 27.9%. Most recent periods have been characterized by stagnancy, a behavior which reflects the stabilization of earnings of the 40% with the smallest income in the last few years. In 2004, this group held 10.6% of the total earnings, a percentage that reached 13.1% in 2011 and 13.3% in 2014.

The structure of earnings  in the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), divided into earnings from work, from retirement benefits and from pensions and other sources, changed little between 2004 and 2014 for the population overall, with the first one as the main source (more than 75% of 3/4 of household income). Nevertheless, earnings from sources increased in importance in the income ranges of up to 1/4 of a minimum wage and between 1/4 and 1/2 of a minimum wage per capita. In the income range of up to 1/4 a minimum wage, other sources changed from 18.8%, in 2004, to 38.0%, in 2014. For the groups at the bottom of the pyramid, other sources are expected to refer to government transfers, once income from rents, bonuses, financial applications, etc., which also for them, not common in lower income strata.

The North and Northeast Regions held the biggest proportions of persons who lived on up to 1/4 a minimum wage per capita. The indicator changed from 23.6% in Maranhão to 21.5% in Alagoas to 2.2% in São Paulo and 1.4% in Santa Catarina in 2014. The proportion of persons in this class of income was 17 times bigger in Maranhão than in Santa Catarina.

Black or brown population represents only 17.4% of the persons with the highest earnings

The inequality of earnings by color or race of the population affects black and brown persons in a more unfavorable manner, as history shows. These last three ones represented 76.0% of the persons among the 10% with the smallest earnings and 17.4% in the 1% with the highest earnings, in 2014. Despite the increased proportion of black or brown persons on top of the distribution (they made up 12.5% in 2004), there is still a big difference in relation to self-declared white persons, who made up almost 80% of the richest one percent of the distribution in 2014. The reduced participation of the black and brown population in the stratum of highest income contrasts with their increased participation in the composition of the population overall, which reached 53.6% in 2014.

The evaluation of the distribution of persons by tenths of earnings shows that white persons have been mostly represented in the highest tenths in the last ten years analyzed. From the total white ones, 41.8% were in the three highest tenths in 2014, whereas black or brown ones made up 20.0% of this stratum. In 2004, these proportions were, respectively, 41.9% and 17.2%, which points to slight increase in the period, without significant change in the structure of income distribution under the perspective of the population's color or race. From the total black or brown ones, 38.5% were in the three lowest tenths in 2014, versus 41.7% in 2004. A total 19.8% of the white persons were in the three lowest tenths in 2014, versus 19.1% in 2004, which reflects almost null change in 10 years.

Housing units: 7.9% of the housing units in the North Region were extremely condensed

Among the housing units with the smallest income there is the biggest proportion of those extremely condensed ones, that is, those with more than three residents per room. In the total permanent private housing units, the proportion of extremely condensed housing units fell by half, with a decrease of 3.2 percentage points between 2004 (6.4%) and 2014 (3.2%), but in the first fifth of per capita household income (poorest 20%), the decrease was 8.9 p.p, having fallen from 18.6% in 2004 to 9.7% in 2014. In 2014, 7.9% of the permanent housing units in the North Region were extremely condensed. The smallest proportion was registered in the South Region (1.2%).

In 2014, 70.7% of the urban housing units had simultaneous access to three types of sanitation services (sewage system, water supply and waste collection). The North, Northeast and Central West regions recorded an increase of the housing units with simultaneous access to the three types of service (proper sanitation) in relation to 2004. Between 2004 and 2014, the North changed from 10.2% to 22.9%, the Northeast, from 39.7% to 51.5%, the Central West, from 38.4% to 50.0%, the Southeast, from 87.3% to 90.5%, and the South, from 60.3% to 69.2%.

In 2004, 81.5% of the rural housing units had electric energy. In 2014, the proportion was 97.8%. The biggest restriction to the access to electricity among rural housing units was observed in the North Region (92.0%), versus 98.0% in the Northeast, 98.8% in the Central West, 99.4% in the Southeast and 99.7% in the South. The North Region witnessed the biggest increase of this indicator between, 2004 and 2014 (from 61.4% to 92.0%).

Almost 30% of the rented housing units had excess of onus in 2014

The housing unit is classified in a state of excessive onus with rent if the monthly renting fee is equals to or surpasses 30% of the monthly household earning. In 2004 , that took place in 4.4% of the urban housing units and in 24.6% of the rented housing units. In 2014, 6.0% were in the same condition and in 28.8% of the rented housing units. Considering the Brazilian Federation Units, the proportion of housing units in the same condition in 2014 ranged between 10.7%, in the Federal Distric, and 1.6%, in Piauí. Among urban housing units in the first fifth of per capita household earnings, the indicator increased 5.2 percentage points, with a change from 7.5% in 2004 to 12.7%, in 2014. These figures are equivalent to 50.4% of the housing units rented in the first fifth of per capita household income in 2004 and to 56.8% of this group in 2014.