Birth Rates

National Geographic has a nice short article about the fall of birth rates in Brazil. I happen to live in one of the more underdeveloped regions of the country (the interior of Bahia), and while it's also clear here that younger generations have far fewer children than older generations, the extent of the drop on the national level still surprised me. My wife, who has over a decade of experience as a teacher, points to income level as an obvious part of the process: "Go to a private school, and almost all the children are only children. Go to a public school, and none are."

The article pins much of its argument on the power of Brazilian woman, including the phrase "no American today is in a position to call Brazil retrograde on matters of gender equity". Perhaps true of Brazil as a whole, but I'm sure plenty of progressive Americans would have no qualms about calling specific places in Brazil exactly that - I have personally met men here who think it's wrong for women to drive cars, who become uncontrollably emotive when they think about the progress gained for women at the expense of men over recent decades, and who describe themselves as "machista" because they don't understand that not being "machista" is not the same thing as lacking masculinity (or as being gay, as would be the immediate logical conclusion for most...). That may all be pretty anecdotal (and in any case, there are surely plenty of Americans that share similar attitudes), but here's something that I'm certain is sadly widespread here: women who cannot finish high school, go to college, or undertake some other positive activity (say, joining a theater group) because their boyfriends or husbands don't understand it and therefore won't allow it.

But rather than expounding any further on regional or class differences, my real contribution here will be to try to scientifically summarize local women's wisdom on child rearing by loosely translating two comments overheard by my wife on local buses in Senhor do Bonfim:

First:

"The way I like luxury, do you think I'm going to have a kid and have to share everything with him?"

Second (separate incident, not a conversation with the first):

"Having a child is wonderful and brings a house into harmony. I don't understand these people that get married but don't have children. You're going to get married just to stare at your husband's face for ten years?"

(Later on, the same woman is still sharing her philosophy on the family)

"And also, who has the arm strength to carry a child all day long? At 6 o'clock I just put him in front of the TV."

(Colleague asks if isn't bad for the child's development)

"No way! And you have to start doing it early. That way, as they get older they can entertain themselves and don't give you so much work."