Family and Government in Brazil

A Brazilian mother shows off her Bolsa Familia debit car

Throughout a tumultuous political history, the family remained the cornerstone and foundation of Brazil’s society.  Over time, the role and style of government both mirrored and impacted changes within families.

Brazil’s current government evolved since Portugal colonized the area in 1500.  Portugal’s monarchy reigned until the late 1800s, when a long era of turbulence began.   Various democratic and authoritarian governments alternated leadership until the late 1980s, when the nation established a stable federative republic with a democratically elected president. 

Throughout varied political regimes, the family unit provided Brazilians with their primary social structure and support.  In a nation with diverse ethnicities, socio-economic statuses and regional distinctions, the physical and psychological concepts of family create commonality.  In Brazil, the idea of family includes the traditional concept of a married couple with children; however, the extended family includes multiple generations and distant relatives and carries comparable importance.  Families tend to be large.  Parents strongly encourage children to remain close to the family and, in return, provide considerable resources, even when the children are grown.  Likewise, seniors stay with and depend on the family as they age. 

As Brazil’s government embraced democracy, the role of women changed. This shift reflected a global trend towards gender equality.  The family evolved from an authoritarian structure, with a dominant male figure, to a more democratic unit.  The Constitution ratified in 1988 granted and women equal rights and responsibilities.

Dessen and Torres stated, “The transition to democracy in the country, coupled with rapid urbanization and industrialization have resulted in changes in values, a redefinition of the social role of Brazilian women, particularly in terms of their greater involvement in the work place.  As a consequence, families have also changed….”  Today, more Brazilian women work, share household responsibility and head households.  The nation elected its first female president, Dilma Vana Rousseff, in 2010. 

In recent years, the government implemented new laws and social policies supporting families and their well-being.  A 2011 law provides specific visitation rights to grandparents of children when parents are divorced.  Implemented in 2003, the Bolsa Familia (family grant) program provides payments to impoverished families if the children attend school and receive medical care, and the mothers attend programs on nutrition and disease prevention.  Providing families the opportunity to own a home, the 2009 Minha Casa, Minha Vida (my home, my life) program pays up to 100 percent of the cost of a home for poor families. 

Concurrent societal and political change impacted the appearance of Brazilian families.  The government both reflected and supported this evolution.  Yet, the role of family remains a paramount source of identity, structure and support. 

A Brazilian family celebrates their new home