Maria Filomena Mónica, 75, is the first Portuguese woman to receive a PhD in sociology. After leaving her husband during Portugal's dictatorship and writing over 30 books, she has become one of the country's most respected intellectuals.
Cátia Bruno Sisters of Europe, February 2019
According to your autobiography [Bilhete de Identidade], you grew up in a very privileged environment, a "social cocoon" that you hated. Why? I think I've been a rebel since I was a child. It's in my DNA. That trait was fuelled by my mother who was an authoritarian and an important figure in the social ranks of the church. At 17, I stopped believing in religion and decided I didn't want to marry the boyfriend she liked so very much. In a way, I got so used to fighting her that it was as if I'd had boxing gloves since I was a girl. The worst moment must have been when I went to study at Oxford. That was in 1970, my daughter was seven and my son was six. Every year, I would spend six months in Oxford and six months in Portugal. It was a scandal [for my mother], even though my husband had left for a full year in 1969 to learn how to become a pilot. Everyone thought I had abandoned my children.
Do you think people would react the same nowadays? I have two granddaughters, one is 23 and the other is 20. Even though they are right to complain, the progress [I've seen] for women has been extraordinary. For example, they find traveling to be a given. The other day, one of them went to Budapest and fell in love with a boy in three days! Still, there are some advantages I had that they don't, like when I found a well-paying job as a translator for the Ministry of Health in no time. I could easily rent an apartment. Finding a good job and housing isn't as easy for young women today, not to mention having kids... The both did Erasmus, are well-travelled and speak fluent English. Even though Europe has facilitated mobility, [it doesn't make it easier] to find jobs or apartments. And with Lisbon's prices rising, they are struggling. Having kids will have to wait.