Against the background of the generalized reduction of poverty in the world, and particularly in Brazil, this article intends to gauge the socio-economic profile of Brazilian households that emerged from poverty and have been identified as integrating a "new middle class". Using indicators of standards of living from the 2008-2009 Survey on Family Budgets (POF/IBGE), we found out that, in contrast to what has been assumed on the basis of average income criteria, this social stratum is markedly heterogeneous, most of it being similar in their consumption patterns to the economically vulnerable or outright poor strata. So, we conclude that, from a sociological perspective that demands additional conditions besides income levels to identify social classes, it is a category mistake to call this social stratum a new middle class. We conjecture that this may be consequential in terms of policy priorities and choices.

Resumo: Esse artigo analisa algumas representações dos brasileiros sobre seu processo de escolarização (avaliações e lembranças sobre escola e professores) e suas relações com a objetivação dessas representações em trajetórias escolares diferenciadas (níveis de desempenho escolar dos entrevistados). São descritas as variáveis clássicas - idade, sexo e origem social - dos chefes de família e cônjuges integrantes da nossa amostra, que é representativa da população brasileira. A escola foi caracterizada como um fator interveniente na trajetória social dos indivíduos através de três avaliações da experiência individual: a escola, o professor e a própria posição entre os colegas. Analisou-se o peso dessas experiências escolares na determinação dos diferentes níveis de sucesso escolar em relação ao peso da origem familiar ou social. No contexto brasileiro, origem social determina fortemente as trajetórias escolares. A escola não foi capaz ainda de reduzir substancialmente os impactos da origem social dos alunos sobre o seu destino.

Abstract: This article analyzes some representations of Brazilians on their educational processes (reviews and memories about school and teachers) and their relationships with the objectification of these differentiated representations in school trajectories (schooling levels of respondents). We describe the classical variables - age, sex and social background - of household heads and spouses members of our sample that is representative of the population. The school was characterized as an intervening factor in the social trajectory through three evaluations of individual experience: the school, the teacher and the position among colleagues. We analyzed the weight of these school experiences in determining the different levels of educational attainment in relation to the weight of family or social origin. In the Brazilian context, social origin strongly determines the school trajectories. The school still has not been able to substantially reduce the impact of social background on the students’ trajectories.

The article analyzes trends in marital selectiveness among blacks, browns, and whites in Brazil, using data from 1960, 1980, and 2000. Given that the educational system expanded and racial inequalities decreased over the years, the article aims to investigate to what extent these trends are related to the reduction in barriers to interracial marriage, as observed during the period. The authors thus analyze marriage patterns in couples of different color and schooling. The reduction in barriers to interracial marriage is independent of the parallel decrease in couples with different educational levels. Such barriers have become less common in all groups, except for those with the most education; in other words, the odds of marriage between husbands and wives with any level of university education increased from 1960 to 2000, corresponding to an increase in the barrier to marriage between highly educated individuals and less educated partners. Nevertheless, the overall trend was towards a decrease in barriers to interracial and inter-educational marriages from 1960 to 2000. In other words, there are steadily fewer impediments to interracial and inter-educational marriages in Brazil.

Dans cet article, on analyse les tendances de la sélection maritale entre noirs, mulâtres et blancs au Brésil, à partir de données couvrant les années 1960, 1980 et 2000. En considérant que le système d'éducation s'est développé et que les inégalités raciales ont diminué avec les années, on cherche à savoir dans quelle mesure ces tendances sont liées à l'aténuation des barrières aux mariages inter-raciaux observée dans la période en question. Dans ce sens, on examine les modèles de mariage entre personnes de couleur de peau et niveau scolaire différents. La diminution des barrières dans le mariage inter-racial ne dépend pas de la diminution parallèle des mariages de niveau scolaire différent. Ces derniers diminuent chez tous les groupes, sauf pour les plus scolarisés, c'est-à-dire que les chances de mariage entre hommes et femmes de scolarité supérieure sont plus grandes entre 1960 et 2000, ce qui correspond à un accroissement de la barrière pour les mariages entre gens très scolarisés et peu scolarisés. Malgré cela, la tendance générale est de diminution des barrières aux mariages inter-raciaux et entre des gens de niveau-scolaire différent entre 1960 et 2000. Soit, il y a de moins en moins de restrictions aux mariages inter-raciaux et entre des gens de niveau scolaire différent au Brésil.

Estudou-se a evolução temporal da epidemia de AIDS no Brasil, tendo a ocupação como variável identificadora da condição sócio-econômica dos casos. Todos os casos de AIDS de 20 a 49 anos de idade, diagnosticados entre 1987-1998, foram incluídos. Analisou-se a evolução temporal das taxas de incidência de AIDS, por sexo, categoria ocupacional e quintos da Escala de Status Sócio-econômico (ESO), além da proporção de casos segundo os quintos da ESO por categoria de exposição. Entre os homens, as taxas de incidência aumentaram, no 1: período, em praticamente todas as categorias ocupacionais, e reduziram entre aquelas classificadas como "não manuais", no 2: período. Entre as mulheres, observou-se incremento anual em quase todas as categorias ocupacionais, de 1987 a 1998. Os maiores aumentos relativos foram observados nos quintos da ESO de menor status sócio-econômico, para ambos os sexos. A categoria de exposição "UDI" foi a que apresentou o pior status sócio-econômico, em ambos os sexos, e a categoria "homo/bissexual" o status mais elevado, entre os homens. A análise evidenciou a progressiva mudança no gradiente social da epidemia de AIDS, com maior velocidade de disseminação nas populações de menor status sócio-econômico.

The dynamics of the Brazilian AIDS epidemic was analyzed by occupation, taken as a proxy for individual socioeconomic status. The analysis comprised AIDS cases aged 20-49 and diagnosed in 1987-1998. The temporal trend in AIDS incidence rates was analyzed by sex, occupational category, and quintiles defined by a Brazilian scale for socioeconomic status (SES). The proportions of AIDS cases stratified by SES quintiles were analyzed by exposure category. Among men, incidence rates increased in the 1st time period in almost all occupational categories, decreasing among those classified as "non-manual" occupations during the 2nd period. Among females, an annual increment was observed from 1987 to 1998 in nearly all occupational strata. The highest relative increases were observed among the lowest SES scales for both sexes. The intravenous drug user (IDU) exposure category had the lowest socioeconomic status for both sexes, whereas the homo/bisexual category had the highest. The analysis highlighted a progressive change in the epidemic's social gradient during the period, with a faster spread among the lower socioeconomic strata.

Estudou-se a evolução temporal da epidemia de AIDS no Brasil, tendo a ocupação como variável identificadora da condição sócio-econômica dos casos. Todos os casos de AIDS de 20 a 49 anos de idade, diagnosticados entre 1987-1998, foram incluídos. Analisou-se a evolução temporal das taxas de incidência de AIDS, por sexo, categoria ocupacional e quintos da Escala de Status Sócio-econômico (ESO), além da proporção de casos segundo os quintos da ESO por categoria de exposição. Entre os homens, as taxas de incidência aumentaram, no 1: período, em praticamente todas as categorias ocupacionais, e reduziram entre aquelas classificadas como "não manuais", no 2: período. Entre as mulheres, observou-se incremento anual em quase todas as categorias ocupacionais, de 1987 a 1998. Os maiores aumentos relativos foram observados nos quintos da ESO de menor status sócio-econômico, para ambos os sexos. A categoria de exposição "UDI" foi a que apresentou o pior status sócio-econômico, em ambos os sexos, e a categoria "homo/bissexual" o status mais elevado, entre os homens. A análise evidenciou a progressiva mudança no gradiente social da epidemia de AIDS, com maior velocidade de disseminação nas populações de menor status sócio-econômico.

The dynamics of the Brazilian AIDS epidemic was analyzed by occupation, taken as a proxy for individual socioeconomic status. The analysis comprised AIDS cases aged 20-49 and diagnosed in 1987-1998. The temporal trend in AIDS incidence rates was analyzed by sex, occupational category, and quintiles defined by a Brazilian scale for socioeconomic status (SES). The proportions of AIDS cases stratified by SES quintiles were analyzed by exposure category. Among men, incidence rates increased in the 1st time period in almost all occupational categories, decreasing among those classified as "non-manual" occupations during the 2nd period. Among females, an annual increment was observed from 1987 to 1998 in nearly all occupational strata. The highest relative increases were observed among the lowest SES scales for both sexes. The intravenous drug user (IDU) exposure category had the lowest socioeconomic status for both sexes, whereas the homo/bisexual category had the highest. The analysis highlighted a progressive change in the epidemic's social gradient during the period, with a faster spread among the lower socioeconomic strata.

Neste trabalho, exploramos a aplicação de um modelo de logits condicionais que permite que determinantes sócio-econômicos da escolaridade tenham efeitos variantes em estágios diferentes do processo de escolarização. Os resultados indicam que esses determinantes, de um modo geral, têm efeito máximo no meio do ciclo escolar básico. As exceções a este padrão são os efeitos de "Educação do Chefe do Domicilio", o qual declina ao longo do processo, e aqueles de "Renda Familiar per Capita" e "Cor da Pele", que tendem a aumentar ao longo das transições.

In this paper we explore the use of a conditional logits model that allows for varying effects of socioeconomic determinants on the schooling process. The results indicate that these determinants in general have a maximum effect in the middle of transitions in primary schooling and are weaker at both the beginning and especially at the end of this schooling process. Exceptions to this pattern are the effects of "head of household's schooling", which decline over the process, and those of "per capita family income" and "skin color", which tend to increase over the course of educational transitions.

Neste trabalho, exploramos a aplicação de um modelo de logits condicionais que permite que determinantes sócio-econômicos da escolaridade tenham efeitos variantes em estágios diferentes do processo de escolarização. Os resultados indicam que esses determinantes, de um modo geral, têm efeito máximo no meio do ciclo escolar básico. As exceções a este padrão são os efeitos de "Educação do Chefe do Domicilio", o qual declina ao longo do processo, e aqueles de "Renda Familiar per Capita" e "Cor da Pele", que tendem a aumentar ao longo das transições.

In this paper we explore the use of a conditional logits model that allows for varying effects of socioeconomic determinants on the schooling process. The results indicate that these determinants in general have a maximum effect in the middle of transitions in primary schooling and are weaker at both the beginning and especially at the end of this schooling process. Exceptions to this pattern are the effects of "head of household's schooling", which decline over the process, and those of "per capita family income" and "skin color", which tend to increase over the course of educational transitions.

Even today, Brazil’s educational indicators are only slightly better than those of the poorest countries in Latin America. Nevertheless, the slow but continuous expansion in schooling in the last two decades has increased the Brazilian population’s educational level and decreased inequality according to region, color, gender, and income bracket. By breaking down the explanatory factors for educational improvement, this study suggests, as a conservative estimate, that approximately 60% of this improvement is due to changes in living conditions and the geographic distribution of families resulting from urbanization and the demographic transition, with the remaining 40% due to actual improvements in the educational system’s performance.

L’éducation au Brésil présente encore aujourd’hui des indicateurs qui ne dépassent que ceux des pays latino-américains les plus pauvres. Néanmoins, la progression de l’éducation, lente mais continue, des deux dernières décennies est parvenue à améliorer le niveau d’instruction de la population ainsi qu’à diminuer ces inégalités entre régions, groupes raciaux, genre, tranches de revenus. L’exercice d’analyse des facteurs expliquant l’amélioration éducative qu’on propose dans ce travail suggère, comme prévision conservatrice, que 60% environ de cette amélioration sont dus aux changements dans les conditions de vie et à la distribution géographique des familles, résultat de l’urbanisation et de la transition démographique. Ce n’est que les autres 40% qui relèvent des améliorations effectives vérifiées dans l’exercice du système éducatif.