O vírus não escolhe grupos sociais? – Impactos da COVID-19 nas desigualdades sociais

Abstract

This article highlights the impact of COVID-19 on social inequalities in Portugal, based on the knowledge produced by sociology and the social sciences in general with respect to the Portuguese reality, contrasting and complementing this information with that from other countries and regions of the world. The different contributions show that mortality and morbidity caused by the pandemic are greater among the most vulnerable social groups, and these social consequences are expressed in the worsening of social inequalities in terms of income, education, employment, ethnic group, gender and place of residence. All these dimensions intersect, accumulate and add up, producing different types of discrimination. The impact of the pandemic on social inequalities is therefore not related strictly to the field of health but extends to a broader and more multidimensional horizon.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• multidimensionality
• Portugal
• social inequalities
• vulnerable social groups