Health
Puerto Rico has a decent health care system, provided you can access it. As in the United States, coverage is not universal for all care. Depending on the severity of the illness or injury, patients must pay for their own care, unless they have private insurance or are covered by their company.
Still, Puerto Ricans live relatively long, 76.7 years for men and 83.6 years for women. One of the major public health problems is obesity, 23% of Puerto Ricans suffer from it and 66.2% of the population is overweight according to the WHO.
The archipelago has its own health policy, independent of that of Washington. This is certainly what allowed it to manage the health crisis in 2020. Accustomed to disasters and emergencies, Puerto Ricans were, in a way, prepared for the arrival of the pandemic. Vaccination campaigns and containment decisions were not controversial. There was no resistance from the traditionally vaccine-friendly population. The mortality rate from Covid-19 has been much lower than in the United States (103 per 100,000 population in 2021, compared with 239 per 100,000 on the mainland), and by May 2022, 83.3% of the population was fully vaccinated.
Family
In Puerto Rico, as in many Latin American countries, family is sacred. Even though many stores are open on Sunday, this day is dedicated to loved ones. Because the island is relatively small, family members can get together frequently and easily. It is not uncommon to see them spending their Sunday at the sea, around a good barbecue. The numerous facilities set up in hotels all over the island to accommodate children are a testament to the Puerto Ricans' love for their families.
Place of the woman
Puerto Rican women should not be told that they live in a macho society. They will say that if that is the case, they have only themselves to blame. Today, they have as many rights as men, although some inequalities remain, such as those related to wages. The Puerto Rican woman is not one to complain about her status. She feels free enough to make the decisions that need to be made and, above all, to assume the consequences. Gone are the days when she was stigmatized for divorcing or raising her children alone. In addition to female artists, many women have achieved prominent positions in Puerto Rican society, including the office of governor, although there are still not as many examples as for men.
Domestic violence
Many feminists are speaking out against the sexist acts perpetrated against women, especially the impact of reggaeton music on the younger generation. The lyrics of the songs and the videos that accompany them represent the woman as a sexual object. But the issue of greatest concern to feminists in Puerto Rico is violence against women, especially domestic violence. In 2021, nearly 8,000 cases of domestic violence were officially recorded, with 85% of the victims remaining women, with femicide being the "most serious manifestation of discrimination and violence against women."
In 2021, 53 feminicides were recorded, according to the National Observatory of Gender Equality in Puerto Rico (Observatorio Nacional de Equidad de Genero), compared to 60 in 2020. A figure that the associations consider to be lower than the reality, because it does not always take into account the "trans-feminicides". Everyone in Puerto Rico remembers the murder of Angie Noemí González Santos, a nurse and mother of three children, strangled by her partner in January 2021. In the aftermath, the newly elected governor, Pedro Pierluisi, declared a state of emergency against gender violence (effective until July 30, 2022). Actions to prevent and fight against such violence were developed, including the reclassification of some homicides against transgender people as feminicide.
LGBTIQ +
A gay-friendly destination, the island is attracting more and more LGBTIQ+ tourists, especially in San Juan. The city offers a variety of accommodations, restaurants, bars and clubs that cater to this community; they can be distinguished by their small rainbow flag displayed on the front. Although it is not officially recognized as the gay district of San Juan, Condado has a good number of establishments frequented by the gay and lesbian community. Free to enter into marriage since 2015, the gay community has expanded and appears to be the most welcoming in the Caribbean. In recent years, however, despite laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, Puerto Rico has seen an increase in cases of violence, based on gender in particular. In July 2019, shocked by the revelation of LGBTphobic, misogynistic and sexist exchanges between members of the government on Telegram messaging, 600,000 people took to the streets, pushing Governor Ricardo Rosselló out.
