A rather individualistic society
Numerous surveys have highlighted the deeply individualistic nature of Azorean society, which explains a certain socio-economic immobility. From the very beginning of settlement, wealth was given to a handful of captain-donors and their families, particularly on São Miguel; the people often only had the right to serve them. Even today, there's an obvious humility in the face of authority, and the various municipalities, if they don't wage bitter war against each other, do their little business in their own corners. However, this individualistic ideology, which finds its fullest expression in the family unit, the supreme nucleus of society, is also the guarantee of a certain social conviviality. Corvo is a case in point, with its small population accustomed to living like one big family. Here, community life is perfectly organized, with everyone contributing to the survival of this self-managed micro-society.
An impressive emigration
The ratio speaks for itself: around 250,000 Azoreans on the archipelago and over a million abroad! Far from the mainland and certain amenities, a country with a moody nature, the locals "flee" mainly to the United States in the Boston area and to Canada in Toronto. Emigration is an important part of the local history and social life. Emigrants' money provides a livelihood for many families on the 9 islands. Emigration also occurs between the islands themselves. Indeed, the larger islands are favored over the smaller ones, often for professional reasons. In recent years, however, the tide seems to have subsided. The standard of living in the Azores is improving, many retirees are returning to their roots, and those who do return to the archipelago are building mansions like Beverly Hills! The idea of the promised land, the land of dreams that was the United States, gradually faded, and the calm and beauty of the archipelago seduced those who had left. The Azores also became a welcoming region, for example for Portuguese-speaking Africans and Brazilians.
Women in the Azores
A popular song from São Miguel, Tanchão, says "it is sad to be a woman: if she is beautiful, she is suspicious; if she is ugly, nobody wants her". Traditionally, a woman dresses in black when she is a widow; if this attitude seems archaic to us, one only has to walk around São Miguel, for example, to see that it is still very much present among the older generations. Until the very beginning of the 18th century, women were sometimes forbidden to participate in pilgrimages: they were said to be disciples of Satan! Parish archives occasionally bear witness to such delirious frights; for example, a parish text from 1698, in Ponta Delgada, warns against the presence of women in the romarias: they would abandon themselves to their "disordered appetites". However, it must be said that today women are more present than men in the churches. Other equally far-fetched beliefs recalled that if the first person to enter a newly opened establishment was a woman, it was better to consider dry bread! And if, by misfortune, she entered with her left foot, it was advisable to lock the door immediately! In fact, a whole secular tradition, maintained by the Church, has sought to place women in a minor role, both in private life and on the social scene.
Education and University of the Azores
The Azorean education system is very similar to that of Portugal (and therefore France), and is part of a European dynamic. Schools are available on every island, and many have recently been modernized and expanded. As for higher education, the archipelago has its own university. Founded in 1976 in Ponta Delgada, it has three campuses: one in Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel, a second in Angra do Heroísmo on the island of Terceira, and a third in Horta on the island of Faial. The University of the Azores is organized into ten departments and two colleges. In particular, it is world-renowned for its oceanography and fisheries department. The idea of creating a local educational institution developed with the Carnation Revolution that broke out on the mainland in the 1970s. This led to educational difficulties, notably with the closure of many Portuguese universities. Wealthy Azorean families decided to send their children to the USA or Canada to continue their studies. This was the catalyst for the local authorities to embark on the project of an Azorean university.
A good quality health care system
Here are a few facts and figures to give you an idea of the health situation in the archipelago, and to convince the most reluctant that we're not going to the Amazon, even if there is still room for improvement. The main difficulty is finding specialists: some areas have great difficulty in getting doctors to come to their islands, and sometimes you have to fly to get a cardiology or cancer consultation. Each island has a qualified medical center to treat minor injuries or minor illnesses. For more complex procedures, patients are transferred to better-equipped hospitals in São Miguel or Terceira. The mortality rate has been falling almost steadily since 2002: in 2022, it stood at 11.3 ‰ (Portugal's national average: 11.9 ‰). The Azorean healthcare system is as good quality as in mainland Portugal or France. Don't forget that, even though we're in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, we're in the European Union! With the European Health Insurance Card, you'll be reimbursed at the same rate as in France. The best-equipped hospital in the archipelago is the Ponta Delgada hospital in São Miguel.
