The Strong Brazilian Woman

Brazil is changing. And with that, so are gender roles. Much to my surprise, the single Brazilian woman is a common sight here. I live in an apartment of four women: a 55-year old divorced woman who hasn’t been married in over 30 years, her 31-year old daughter who moved from France last August and who hasn’t dated since, a girl from Southern Brazil who broke up with her boyfriend a while ago and hasn’t found a new one, and me. Four women. Zero men. Below is the picture of the four of us:



Now, I remind you of a point from my previous blogs. On the surface, Brazil is a machista society. Many men you meet on the street treat the women they don’t know as though they are food to be devoured. Strangers feel the need to whistle and yell at anything moving in a skirt or dress. The men on the streets comment to the women as though they are food, yelling “gostosa” and “delícia” (both terms to describe how delicious food is). And Brazilian men have a phrase saying “Há duas coisas quentes aqui no Brasil: o café e as mulheres,” which means “There are two hot things in Brazil: the coffee and the women.”

However, these stereotypes of men dominating women seem to be often only what happens in the street and a Brazil of the past. Underneath these attacks is a strong Brazilian woman. Many of the women in Sao Paulo work, are single and earn decent money. More and more are going to college.

While women are certainly still outnumbered in politics, executive jobs and other high-leadership positions, they are catching up. And the average woman in Brazil gets married at a later age than the average woman in the U.S. It seems that it’s not just the United States that’s working on gender equality… Brazil is making huge strides too!

Here is a picture of two single ladies: Me and my host mom!