Latin America’s gender stratifications differ and mirror the United States in different ways. Like in the United States, women make less than men. Unlike the United States, most times they are unable to work. In Ecuador, most families are considered nuclear. A nuclear family is defined as a family consisting of two people and at least one child (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2015). These families are mostly patriarchal and are controlled by the male figure. Many of these families experience machismo which is the control of a man over a woman (Davila, 2016). Domestic abuse, lack of health care and poverty are all factors that affect Ecuador’s society in negative ways. In Ecuador, there is severe gender inequality, men are often in charge leaving women little power.
Socioeconomically, in Ecuador, the top ten percent earns almost forty-eight percent of all income (Webber, 2017, 284). Most of the population is below the poverty line. Poverty rates increased almost four percent from 1980 to 2002 (Webber, 2017, 284). Because of the poor socioeconomic standing of many people, some families choose to migrate, to Spain in particular. Half of the women who chose to leave their home country either leave by themselves or chose to leave with their husbands (Del Amo, 1144, 2011). When these women leave their home country, they become the primary income for their families ( Del Amo, 1144, 2011). In many families, women are the primary caretakers of children and the elderly while men held jobs in agriculture and construction (Del Amo, 1144, 2011). In 1998, only 46 percent of women participated in working and 72 percent of men work (Correia, ix, 2000).
In the traditional nuclear family, women are not allowed to work while men dictate the women can and cannot (Davila, 2016). Women complete less education than their male counterparts. Women, on average, complete seven years of education while men complete 7.4 years of education (Correia, viii, 2000). While men may receive more education, forty-four percent of boys drop out of school to start working (Correia ,x, 2000). This leads the work force to be saturated with uneducated workers.
Households are regularly lead by men. Only 19 percent of households are lead by women and most of them are single parents with three or less children (Correia, 11, 2000). Women do not hold many places in government. Only two of the one hundred and twenty four members of congress are women of Indigenous descent (Picq, 2014). And while the Ecuadorian Congress is made up of almost 40 percent women, in 2014, four of the 137 members were Indigenous (Picq, 2014).
Due to colonization, women were taught to be subordinate in the Catholic, patriarchal society (Poor, 2010). Women in Ecuador were only able to vote starting in 1929 (Poor, 2010). This occurred nine years after the United States allowed women to start voting.
Abuse is a prevalent issue affecting Ecuador even today. Fifty-four percent of women reported psychological abuse, thirty-three percent reported physical abuse, and
twenty-two percent reported sexual abuse (Davila, 2016). Male violence has been linked to the need to show masculinity and gender roles (Correia, 22, 2000). According to Davila (2016), ninety percent of women do not report abuse because of the idea that family issues cannot be shared outside the home.
According to the Ecuador Gender Review, masculinity can be equated to “working hard, earning money, being responsible, and providing financially for the family” (Correia, 22, 2000). Violence by males can also be explained by the Gender Role Conflict, or GRC. The GRC explains the idea that psychological issues and distress can be caused by the failure to conform to gender roles that are viewed as normal (Davis, 23, 2015). The need to show one's masculinity also stems from the idea that you if you are not powerful, you will not succeed. Society tells men that they need to be dominant to be powerful and that you should not show weakness.
Abuse has been combatted in Ecuador in multiple ways. Comisarias de la mujer are police stations for women were created in attempt to give women a safe place to report violence and abuse (Poor, 2010). These police stations only respond to domestic violence (Bastick, n.d). This is a viable way for women to escape abusive relationships. Their main goals are “support for victims in matters of medical care, guidance and financial assistance; and help survivors file a lawsuit” (Bastick, n.d). Legislation titled Ley contra la Violencia a la Mujer y la Familia, or Violence against Women and the Family, was created in 1995 and stated that “This Law aims to protect the physical and mental integrity and sexual freedom of women and members of their
families by preventing and punishing domestic violence and other violations of the rights of women and their families” (Canada, 2009). This gave the victim the chance to remove the assailant from the home and have a restraining order put against him or her (Canada, 2009). The creation of these stations and laws have seen significant progress with only forty reports being filed daily and only around seven-thousand being filed yearly (Canada, 2009).
Medical issues facing women include high amounts of high risk pregnancies, limited access to contraceptives and maternal health care, and high levels of maternal mortality (Correia, 13-14, 2000). Due to poverty and little access to healthcare, twenty-five percent of women do not receive prenatal care (Correia, 12, 2000).
Women who are less educated or live in rural areas are less likely to receive prenatal care (Correia, 13, 2000). This is similar in the United States. Healthcare is more accessible to those who are educated and wealthier.
When compared to gender inequality in the United States, the issues are different. In the United States, women are allowed to work and have outlets to report abuse. When women and men are taught to see themselves as different, the idea of
inequality will persist (Risman, 432, 2004). To change inequality, men and women need to be given the same opportunities and options. Gender is involved in everyday life (Risman, 430, 2004). But while there is such a divide between genders, men and women will never be on the same level as each other.
The conflict theory explains that “society is defined by a struggle for dominance among social groups that compete for scarce resources” and can be seen in men having power while women are powerless and seen as subordinate (Sociological Perspectives on Gender Stratification, n. d). This is seen in society as men being the main source of income for most families and controlling the work that women are allowed to do. Because of this, women have little chance to leave if they are not safe or to support themselves outside of a marriage.
Gender Inequality in Ecuador is severe. Men are taught to dominant and women, subordinate. Society in Ecuador is led by men. Women in Ecuador have little say over what they can do and they have very little involvement in government and life outside the home. Domestic violence is a major source of gender inequality as women are afraid to speak out due to the idea of men being in control and embarrassment. Women are responsible for the home and family and men are the earners of the family and are regularly responsible for the family financially. This helps with the continuation or gender the roles already in a place and gives little way for them to be changed. With this happening, change is not possible.