Youth vs. Seniority
“In Brazil, the elderly are frequently seen as burdensome, as they are no longer a part of the labor market and must be cared for by family or by state social services.” This statement, which I found in an article by Alicia Kriewell, is pretty straightforward about how the elderly are viewed in Brazil. Although it is clear that Brazil values youth, the same article explains that there are many religious groups trying to negate Brazil’s negative view on the elderly. Essentially, Brazil has been a youth-centered culture in the past. Recently, however, there has been strong efforts to keep the elderly of Brazil involved and to maintain their level of dignity and respect. Brazil has a relatively low median age, 28.9 years, compared to the United States’ median age of 36. Our homeland (United States) certainly values youth and is constantly looking ahead to the future. With a median age of 28.9 years, the young people of Brazil have an undeniable impact on their culture. However, that number is on the rise and it will be interesting to see if Brazil becomes a more elderly-centered culture in the next ten to twenty years.
Gender
According to a study in September 2010, “Brazilians strongly believe there should be gender equality, and that women should be able to work outside the home.” The same article also states that women and men often split chores around the house. Like the United States, women usually do the dishes, laundry, and cleaning, while the men do yard work and other physical jobs. Although Brazilians believe in gender equality, the numbers don’t exactly suggest complete equality. Brazilian women earn only 75% of what Brazilian men earn, just a shade below what American women earn (76.5%) of what American men earn. According to Hofstede’s dimensions, Brazil scores a 49 in the Masculinity/Femininity dimension. This score is basically middle of the path, meaning that Brazil, for the most part, doesn’t favor men over women and vice versa. The United States scores a 62 in the same dimension, which tells us that we value competition, achievement, and success just a tad more than Brazil does.
Culture Shock 