Empoderamento económico das mulheres e relações conjugais: um estudo sobre percepções sociais dos homens no Belo horizonte, distrito de Boane

Abstract

The present research, titled “Women‟s Economic Empowerment and Marital relations: A study on the social perceptions of men in Belo Horizonte, Boane District, “analyzes how the financial advancement of women is perceived by their partners within the matrimonial context. The central problem lies in the dialectical tension between women‟s economic autonomy and the traditional expectations that define masculine identity through the role of the provider. Anchored in Berger and Luckmann‟s theory of the Social Construction of Reality, the study argues that such perceptions are not natural but socially constructed through interaction and language. In methodological terms, a qualitative approach was chosen, utilizing the case study as the procedure method. Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews with a sample of twelve married men, aged between 29 and 50, given the qualitative nature of the research, this number allowed for capturing the diversity of meanings and the “latent tension” between patriarchal culture and female autonomy. For data processing, the content analysis technique was applied. The results reveal that men construct a complex framework of meanings where, although they recognize female income as a necessary “help” given the current cost of living, subtle mechanisms for maintaining male dominance persist. The use of gender-based activity segregation strategies to preserve spaces of authority was observed. The study concludes that, despite new socioeconomic dynamics, traditional power structures in marriage have not yet been fully eliminated, coexisting whit a pragmatic acceptance of female empowerment