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Race and gender inequalities in Brazil are analyzed in light of international human fights law and standards. The demographic category "blacks" or "African descendants" is new and still controversial in Brazil; it conflicts with the traditional "racial democracy" ideology by grouping together dark-skinned and light-skinned blacks, but official research institutions increasingly employ this methodology. Statistical economic and demographic analysis demonstrates that African descendants' human rights, particularly those of black women, are violated daily in Brazil. Analysis is made of compliance with international standards for the rights to life (life expectancy, mortality rates, quality of life), physical and mental health, work with dignity and equal opportunity, ongoing improvement of living conditions, and protection in childhood. Brazilian society is traditionally authoritarian and inequality is taken for granted. Meaningful economic and social change must address the specific issues of race discrimination and its legacy, which implies deep structural changes in Brazilian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the social construction of race and its impact on assimilation in Brazil and the United States. Concept of race in biology; Concept of race in the social sciences; Race in the speech of the United States and Brazil; Reflections on race.