Racismo em Profissionais da Política de Assistência Social: Uma Análise de Clusters

The black population is the primary group served by the Brazilian National Social Assistance Policy. Therefore, it is essential to understand how sociodemographic and work-related factors are connected to expressions of racism and racial prejudice among professionals in this policy. This study aimed to characterize and compare different clusters of these professionals in relation to a set of racial beliefs and their expressions. Additionally, the study sought to characterize these clusters according to sociodemographic variables (e.g., gender, race) and work-related factors (e.g., length of service, level of care). A total of 175 professionals participated (87.4% female and 12.6% male; 64% self-declared white, 13.7% black, 21.7% brown, and 0.6% indigenous), aged between 23 and 65 years. The questionnaires used were: Critério Brasil, Modern Racism Scale, and Subtle and Blatant Prejudice Scales. The results identified four distinct clusters. Cluster 1 (n=7), composed of white people, without a college degree, with more children, and divorced, stood out for showing the highest averages on all three scales, indicating higher expressions of racial prejudice and racism. Social Assistance professionals who exhibit such expressions may contribute to maintaining the vulnerability of black people.