Brazil

Cultural Conceptions of Motherhood in Brazil

Colonization, slavery, and industrialization have influenced cultural conceptions of motherhood. From the colonial period through the 1970s, a mother's place was with her children. Gender roles were divided along the Mediterranean concept of marianismo, which attributes to women the central role of selfless mother; and machismo, reflected in the husband's dominance. The greater female autonomy in West Africa has survived in Afro-Brazilian communities, tempering the traditional model.

Other factors lessening the traditional split in gender roles include a weakening association between marriage and reproduction, and the industrialization of Brazil. Brazilian mothers remain in charge of the children and the home. If the mother is absent, another woman, often a relative, assumes this role.

Catholicism has influenced Brazilian attitudes toward reproductive rights, gender, and family issues. While 76 percent of Brazilians are nominal Roman Catholics, the religious influence of slaves from West Africa continues to be strong. Afro-Brazilian religious icons include many female role models of strong, defiant women. Brazilian mothers and wives resisted authoritarian military regimes, with support of the Catholic Church and leftist politicians.

Family Planning, Education, and Prenatal Care

Family planning was declared a right in the 1988 Constitution, and the sale of contraceptive devices is not restricted. More than three-quarters of married women use contraceptives, but use is lower among women aged 15–24 and women in the rural northeast, where one-third of the population resides. An estimated 1.4 million illegal abortions take place each year, with a high rate among teenagers. Brazilian anthropologists have found that poor Brazilian Roman Catholic women distinguish the religious prohibition against taking a life and the medical practice of preventing contraception. Sterilization is becoming increasingly common among younger women and poor women who may lack information about and have less access to other methods. Oral contraceptives are widely used.

...