Conjugal routine of women workers with repetitive strain injury

Abstract

The RSI is a work illness that has affected both sexes, but mostly women. This injury affects functional capacities, mainly in the execution of professional activities, household chores and personal hygiene. Considering that in our society women are responsible for performing household chores and taking care of children, this research had the purpose to find out conjugal routine problems in women with RSI. Six married women with children were interviewed. They were manual workers of a chocolate factory. We used opened and semi-opened interviews and questionnaire and observed changes in their self-evaluation before and after RSI. We noticed that, being away from their jobs, caused great suffering to them. We observed that, in spite of not being able to, they insisted on doing traditional housework and suffered for not accomplishing it. As far as their sexual life, the injury did not cause serious damage. Although the illness requires adaptation in family and conjugal life, the women interviewed thought that did not affect their emotional relationship. We concluded that RSI interference in the lives of married women with children does not, necessarily, mean they have unsatisfactory family and spouse relationships.