REPRESENTAÇÕES SOCIAIS DA MULHER: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA DA LITERATURA DO BRASIL E AMÉRICA LATINA

Abstract

The Theory of Social Representations (TRS) is considered an expanding domain. There is a multiplication of the objects of representation taken as research themes, diverse methodological approaches and paradigms that aim to clarify, from some angles, representational dynamics. Therefore, the present work consists of a systematic review of the scientific literature whose objective was to analyze the studies that use TRS to investigate the issue of women in the Brazilian and Latin American context. Empirical articles were collected in the databases Lilacs, PePSIC and SciELO, which answered the following question: "How has women been represented in researches in Brazil and other Latin American countries?". The 90 articles that composed the sample were analyzed with the help of Iramuteq and SPSS software. The results show the existence of five classes, called "development and sexuality", "feminine counter", "violence and health", "TRS and intergroup relations" and "motherhood and body". These results are discussed by highlighting the polarization of women's social representation through stereotypes and a gender bias. As well as the implications of these in the scientific literature and their role in the diffusion of the dominant social values, since the ideological factors are essential in the maintenance of the discrimination against the women. Thus, the study discusses the understanding of the relationship between TRS in research on women and sexism.