Lost village of Brazilian women appeals for single men

A remote Brazilian village of 600 people has appealed for newcomers to swell its ranks, with one proviso: they must be men. The women of Noiva do Cordeiro want husbands – though, intriguingly for a deeply religious society, not necessarily in the legal sense.

Men are scarce in the picturesque village in southeast Brazil, reports the Daily Telegraph. Many have left to find work in the cities, leaving the women behind. Others commute each week.

What's more, says the paper breathlessly, the women of Noiva de Cordeiro are "known throughout Brazil for their beauty". One resident, 23-year-old Nelma Fernandes, whose level of beauty is not recorded, explained: "Here, the only men we single girls meet are either married or related to us; everyone is a cousin."

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"I haven't kissed a man for a long time," she lamented. "We all dream of falling in love and getting married. But we like living here and don't want to have to leave the town to find a husband."

But there is more behind the gender imbalance than pure economic necessity. The town, whose name means Bride of the Lamb (ie Christ), was founded in 1891 by a woman, Maria Senhorinha de Lima, after she was branded an adultress and exiled from her home and church.

Senhorinha de Lima's granddaughter still lives in the valley and Noiva do Cordeiro is still run by women, who are not ready to give up that control.

Fernandes cautioned: "We'd like to get to know men who would leave their own lives and come to be a part of ours. But first they need to agree to do what we say and live according to our rules."

Another resident, 49-year-old Rosalee Fernandes, said: "We have God in our hearts. But we don't think we need to go to church, get married in front of a priest or baptise our children. These are rules made up by men."

She added: "There are lots of things that women do better than men. Our town is prettier, more organised, and far more harmonious than if men were in charge.

"When problems or disputes arise, we resolve them in a woman's way, trying to find consensus rather than conflict."