The women embroiderers from Ibitinga: homework and union practices

摘要

This paper analyses the history of women embroiderers from Ibitinga, a small town in the state of São Paulo, which is known by the beauty of its needlework. It recreates, from a historical perspective, the diffusion of the embroidery industry in the town, emphasizing the struggle of the worker's union to improve labor conditions and register workers at the Ministry of Labor. The study emphasizes the importance of worker's organization to decrease homework, as well as to legalize the industries, a process that lies at the roots of its vigorous growth during recent years.