Educational and Psychosocial Dimensions

The changes that have taken place in the world since the 1970s have led to transformations, particularly in the labor market, resulting in fewer jobs, the appearance of underemployment, precarious activities, dissatisfaction and unemployment, among others. Thus, new alternatives have been sought, linked to the emergence of new forms of work organization, such as production and consumption cooperatives, production, consumption and marketing networks, popular solidarity enterprises, self-management companies and producer associations, among others. Thus, the Solidarity Economy grew stronger in the 1990s, becoming an alternative for generating work and income that differed from the capitalist economy. Within this context, COCBIX - Cooperativa de Costureiras do Bairro Industrial do Xarquinho (Cooperative of Seamstresses of the Xarquinho Industrial District) was set up in Guarapuava, Paraná, in 2010, by 23 women, as a means of occupation and income. And it is this Cooperative that this work is about, its beginning, middle and end.