I stumbled upon a short video of a Brazilian (unmistakable accent) complaining about Portuguese women, while just yesterday I had a conversation with a Brazilian who confided in me that she felt so safe here.
Brazilian women feel safe in Portugal
I became curious, of course. I mean, that Brazilian from the aforementioned video—whatever, he just wanted to steal a kiss, and that worked better even in countries like Iran, Kazakhstan, Egypt… those “Muslim countries,” as he called them, than in Portugal. Yeah, right, you silly fool, sure, in countries where women are treated just a little better than a garbage bag, it must be easier. But enough about him. He can figure it out himself with his kiss-seeking.
My Brazilian acquaintance told me that in Brazil it really isn’t unusual for a man to stare at you shamelessly as you pass by, and: “They really stare at you intently, from head to toe, they watch you go, and make comments, even when his mother is around! And if there are several of them, it can be really nasty. Nose in the air, and don’t react!” She doesn’t find that very pleasant, to put it mildly, even though she grew up with it. It was an incredible relief that this behavior doesn’t occur in Portugal.
That you can walk down the street without all that hassle. I can totally understand that.
It is pretty annoying when you have to be on your guard all the time; that does way too much for your stress levels. I decided to look into it further. A chat with the Portuguese neighbor I happened to run into. “What?” she exclaimed when I told her how things apparently can go in Brazil, “that will really never happen to you here. Portuguese men have respect for women.”
I came across a list on the net of the nicest countries for women. The Scandinavians and Iceland are doing the best. European countries all score well; Portugal ranks 11th, 18th, or 21st, depending on the criteria. To my surprise, the Netherlands scores very well! Just after the Scandinavians, more or less.
Old-fashioned macho culture in Portugal
Machismo in Portugal boils down more to: men doing business with men. It isn’t so much transgressive or even violent (outside the home), but it is more old-fashioned in the sense that the man is the head of the family, and women cook and raise the children. That is changing more and more, of course, with all the dual-income families and career women.
I saw a man hanging laundry on his little balcony the other day – in full display, whilst greeting his neighbor who unloaded his groceries.
A Brazilian macho would never do that
Of course, not all Brazilian men are like that. We had a Brazilian couple as tenants, and he’s a nice guy. He does all sorts of household chores, while also working himself to the bone to support his family. You encounter all kinds of people all over the world – it has little to do with nationality, although culture can be very important in how people interact with one another.
Portugal is rapidly climbing the ladder for people with online businesses. It’s still affordable, the people are friendly everywhere, and the landscapes are very varied. Safety is always a particularly important factor for women. Traveling alone as a woman in Portugal is a very easy-going experience.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons why quite a few Brazilians are moving to Portugal?
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(Disclaimer: I’m a bit tired of the keyword stuff and Google’s dictatorship. So here they are, and I’m also hoping for the cleverness of AI in this matter that it will still be found and read, but that I don’t have to force myself to use the right terms in the title and headings.#Brasil #Portugal #safecountryforwomen )
We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal. We started to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa.You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere. Since Covid we rent the houses for a longer period of time, not as holiday houses anymore.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation.
In the weekend we publish it on Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.