Brazilian Fertility Rates

As of recently something odd has been happening to the Brazilian fertility rate - it has been dropping, and it has been dropping fast. The national fertility rate currently hovers around 1.9. This is even lower than the two children per woman fertility rate of the United States. When looking at this situation without a familiarity of the Brazilian culture you would probably see nothing odd about a drop in fertility rates. After all, its happening to all evolving nations right? Well yes, but not like this.
Brazil is a country that takes its religion seriously. That religion is Catholicism. So how might you ask, is a country where abortion is illegal, Catholicism reigns supreme, and no federal birth control polices have ever been enforced dropping its fertility rate faster than flies? The short answer is, they have embraced the concept of "girl power". Brazil's rapid industrialization has led to a serious attitude change by Brazilian women. By providing them with access to education, contraceptive methods, and new female stereotypes of strong career women Brazilian society has changed the face of it's women forever. The women that used to have have six to eight children are now educating early, reproducing late, and ultimately stopping altogether after the first or second child. They are pursuing careers and becoming equals with their male counterparts. What took other countries a century and a handful of federal birth control policies Brazil has done in twenty five years with rapid industrialization, strong soap opera women, and an unregulated pharmaceutical market.  


Information obtained from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/girl-power/gorney-text and http://pulitzercenter.org/projects/brazil-family-planning-birth-rate-women-health.