Dr. Kimberly Jones, Dr. Sarah Jane Alves Duraes from the State University of Montes Claros (UNIMONTES), four UNIMONTES students and two students from Grinnell College (Prof. Jones’ previous employer) presented findings July 29 from six weeks of intensive research on female hospital workers at the public hospital affiliated with UNIMONTES, O Hospital Universitario Clemente de Faria (HUCF). The presentation took place in the HUCF auditorium. Faculty, students, staff and community members attended the presentation, which was covered in newspaper articles and radio interviews in the city and region.
During the six weeks of research, the team completed 90 questionaires with patients, 9 focus groups with 32 female hospital workers, and 90 individual interviews with hospital workers. In addition, Dr. Jones, a new faculty member in ssociology/anthropology, filmed a documentary focusing on the lives of five of the female hospital workers. Preliminary findings indicate that women workers have great difficulty balancing household responsibilities with the long shifts they are required to work. Speeding up the process of developing an on-site day care center was highly recommended. As part of the Program for Ethnographic Research and Community Service (PERCS), Dr. Jones is looking forward to further analyzing the data and editing the film with the help of Elon undergraduates.