BIENVENIDOS A ECUADOR
Politicians, Business Owners, Agrarians, Owners of Industrial Companies, Business People, Middle and Small Financers
Professionals, concentrated in cities & larger towns, in a 2013 survey, middle class had risen to 35% of the population
Field Workers, Peasants, some City Workers, Taxi Drivers
Specific Ethnic Groups: Mestizos, Indians, Black People, Increasingly large social groups called so far marginal
Is it possible to change social classes? Many residents of Ecuador are cautious of what they name their children, so the names sound like middle class names and not like skilled workers.
Although very few people directly state their aversion to being associated with the lower class, there are many behavioral indicators that suggest it. For example, an outing as simple as going to the pharmacy can denote one's social class. Most members of the upper class choose to shop at Fybeca, a high-end pharmacy, instead of Sana-Sana because of a perceived higher quality although both stores are owned by the same company. Living in the northern sector of Quito instead of the south is usually more desirable, although southern Quito has nice neighborhoods. Owning a Blackberry or an iPhone is extremely attractive, although it easily costs double the price as in the United States and significantly raises one's odds of being robbed.
The most prestigious status symbol, however, is anything associated with "gringos", or foreigners. There is a prevailing mentality that connects a foreign origin to better quality and social status. So much so, that the government enforces a high tax rate on imports to promote national products. Nevertheless, appreciation for "gringo" products is far from dwindling. American brands are highly sought after. A dinner at T.G.I. Friday's for example, is considered very prestigious and costs three times as much as the average Ecuadorian meal. Many national companies choose to use English names to create an association with foreign prestige in the minds of consumers.
Logically, being a gringo (from the United States or Europe) is the ultimate status symbol. This helps perpetuate the idea that white is superior, not only in Ecuador, but throughout Latin America. Having blonde hair and ojos gatitos, or light colored eyes, is covetable because in the minds of many, it indicates a higher socio-economic standing.
ROLES
SOCIAL STATUS ROLES:
For the young it is very hard to get a job. The bourgeoisie people prefer to hire graduated youngsters who do not have any experience so they can be paid very low salaries. The bourgeoisie do not want to pay high salaries to a skilled professional that has been working for several years. The owners of the companies say there is not enough money to pay salaries and they fire the skilled workers.
The government has now made it mandatory for people with disabilities to be hired or the company will be fined and can risk being shut down.
In the United States, Americans over 40 years old have the Age Discrimination Act to protect them. In Ecuador it is virtually impossible to find work when you are an elder.
CLASS
Like the United States, social class influences several aspects of your life. Examples include neighborhood, appearance, education, and even your last name. However, unlike the United States, there is little social mobility. People born in the lower class will usually remain there for the rest of their lives, tending to give a sense of superiority to many members of Ecuador's upper class.
The four distinct Social Classes/Social Stratums:
GENDER ROLES:
Women make up a considerable portion of the workforce and are particularly visible in banking and finance, university teaching and research. They play a prominent role in indigenous and Afro–Ecuadorian mobilizations and movements. They hold high government positions in the national and regional judicial system, the national congress, and the executive branch.
Gender roles vary greatly across classes and ethnicities, ranging from equal to male–dominated. Context specificity alters gender roles and statuses so that women may control sectors of activity even when ideological maleness is said to prevail. The ideology of machismo refers to masculine dominance and sexual conquest.
It is said by people in some sectors to be complemented by marianismo, which, in reference to the Virgin Mary, designates an ideal of female purity and fidelity. How this somewhat vague ideology, which is not universal in Ecuador and varies enormously by gender, class, and ethnic perspectives, articulates to actual gender roles is not clear, and deserves serious research attention.
Women have gained legal rights over their children and their own property. A woman, even with a stable and enduring marriage, may elect to omit her husband's name from her child's birth certificate to protect that child from possible future bad fatherhood or separation or divorce, in which the father could claim the child.
