Blog 2:  Machisma

Machisma, a story published in National Geographic in September 2011 is a great article exposing female empowerment. John Stanmeyer has some awesome photographs which compliment the research and writings of author Cynthia Gorney.

This is a story concerning every socioeconomic class of females from every region in the country of Brazil. The message sent by these empowered women was, the factory is closed! Since the 1960's Brazil has witnessed a declining birth rate. The national average for children has changed from a whopping 6.9 during that era to 1.9 in 2011. China is the only other country, enforced by the one-child rule state policy to see such a sharp drop in fertility rates.

Some facts and criteria that assisted in this shift are similar to those we have studied in class with a few twists and new ideas. This movement was started by determined women, kept evolving as women became empowered and it does not appear that they will be turning back. They no longer want to stay in the home, raising large families. Once again, the longing for education fueled the fire along with desiring a stronger role in the workplace and with an increase in income pushing women from fifteen million in the workforce in 1980 to thirty-four million in 2000. The government or church has not endorsed or promoted their change in the home. Even though a majority of the women are catholic, they no longer allow their male dominated clergy to dictate their choices and use of birth control. This oppression of women is discussed throughout our latest readings on "religions maintain women's oppression very directly through church laws that require wives to submit to their husbands, regulate women's sexuality, and create highly defined gender performances for women and men". (Shaw/Lee 2012). Women made sure birth control, early abortion pills and birth control advice was available even on street corners to all women. "I resolved that women should have knowledge of contraception. They have every right to know about their own bodies" (Sanger 1931). This message was certainly carried out by Brazilian women with her same passion. As we learned early on in class, the second wave women's movement encouraged taking full ownership with gender equality in the 1970's-1980's and "focused on such issues as the workplace, family, sexuality, and reproductive freedom"(Shaw/Lee 2012). Brazilian women changed their image of sex symbols and submissive and oppressed baby makers to empowered women during this movement. Now in charge of not only themselves but also of others by assuming high ranking military jobs, becoming police officers on patrol for women and by 2010 electing their first female president! Another factor to come into play was in 1977 when divorce became legal and women changed the rank of their priorities to education, their profession and then being in a relationship and having children. Brazil is flourishing with the new low fertility rates which have had a direct increase on family incomes and available consumer credit, with a growing middle income working class. Public health now tries to regulate and pay for sterilizations and birth control. A large percentage of women under the age of thirty-five are sterilized. Abortion is still not legal if not a life or death emergency, so safe illegal abortions are readily available. The infant-child mortality rate has improved and women are proud of their evolvement over the last four decades.

 A huge factor affecting their current empowerment was the availability of electricity, then televisions and the introduction of soap operas, or the media in 1985. "Television is one of the most influential forms of media because it is so pervasive" (Shaw/Lee 2012) and these shows kept women advised and current with trends and new thinking. Empowerment by freedom, education, choice, careers, economics and family are a few of the topics that flooded the Brazilian shows that still remain the rave. Writers used story lines to subtly expose the government, spark women to question traditional values and open their eyes to how life could be, if they wanted it. Most of the Brazilian female soap stars portray childless women or have only one child. They flaunt lifestyles that other Brazilian women had only dreamed of. This dream became reality as this women's movement gained momentum, thus the name of the article, machisma.


Shaw S. and Lee J., Women's Voices, Feminist Visions" ( pg 597, 3, 455) 2012.

Sanger M., "My Fight for Birth Control", Women's Voices, Feminist Visions" (pg 312) 1931.