O cuidar da mãe como um trabalho invisível : a atividade de mães de crianças com microcefalia sob a lupa da ergologia.

We sought to understand the domestic work and care-providing activities carried out by women who fathered children with congenital Zyca virus syndrome (or microcephaly). Anchored by the ergological perspective, we conducted a study with the participation of nine mothers of children born with disabilities due to the Zyca epidemic. All the participants were from the northeast of Brazil, 28 years old on average; most of them were black and had little schooling. The results show that these women have a set of tasks to perform that go beyond the ordinary activities of conventional motherhood, requiring a know-how that is built up in practice, in interaction with health professionals and with other mothers who have similar experiences. The findings endorse the debate on care work, questioning the myth that it is unqualified and reaffirming it as a complex task that requires engagement and intelligence for carrying it out and managing it on a daily basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]