Showing posts with label Social. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social. Show all posts
Brazilian Sub-Cultures
Brazil's large population of around 190 million people combined with a strong history of migration make it a stand-out example of cultural diversity. According to Ribeiro [1997] we can divide the Brazilian into 5 sub-cultures. First there are the "crioula" from the northeast region of the country, descendants of African slaves they were brought there by Portuguese colonizers and forced to work. The second group is the "cabloca", situated in the north of the country close to the rain forest, the inhabitants are natives and non-voluntary immigrants. Both groups are based on a system where group norms and group loyalty are untouchable values and of the upmost priority. According to Torres and Dessed [2002] these regions have the tendency to be a vertical-collectivist cultural group, where inequality is preferred to equality.
Ribeireo [1997] analyzed the third and fourth sub-cultures, the "caipira" and "gaúcha", both originating in the south and south east region of Brazil. Caipira was mostly a group who worked on coffee farms in the 18th century and over time have became more and more industrialized. The gaúcha worked in harvest and production of sugar cane. These two groups show a vertical-individualist cultural pattern. The fact that most are descendent of the large European immigration in the 17th and 18th century shows some European cultural characteristics.
The fifth sub-culture, who originated in the North-East, from the savannas of the central Brazil are the "sertaneja". While the administrative capital was displaced from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília in the 60’s (Brasília was a lifeless area before) it became a city with inhabitants who are seeking autonomy and accept social status differences. Furthermore there are still some small groups in rural sections who show verticals-collectivism patterns.
Ribeireo [1997] analyzed the third and fourth sub-cultures, the "caipira" and "gaúcha", both originating in the south and south east region of Brazil. Caipira was mostly a group who worked on coffee farms in the 18th century and over time have became more and more industrialized. The gaúcha worked in harvest and production of sugar cane. These two groups show a vertical-individualist cultural pattern. The fact that most are descendent of the large European immigration in the 17th and 18th century shows some European cultural characteristics.
The fifth sub-culture, who originated in the North-East, from the savannas of the central Brazil are the "sertaneja". While the administrative capital was displaced from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília in the 60’s (Brasília was a lifeless area before) it became a city with inhabitants who are seeking autonomy and accept social status differences. Furthermore there are still some small groups in rural sections who show verticals-collectivism patterns.
The influence on the organization of Brazilian families
This cultural diversity has had a significant impact on Brazilian family organization, which can be distinguished in modern times into two different models.
The first group is based on the African roots (the African slaves who were present for a long time from 1500 to 1850). They all came from various African cultural groups with diverse systems such as matriarchal, patriarchal, polygamous, with different religions, languages and rituals. Many families in the North-East of Brazil have their family systems shaped by their slave background and are still part of the low-income class. The most shocking aspect is that this class has severed their family bonds, because during the slavery period they were sold from their "owners" and the family members were separated.
The second model is a traditional one based on a patriarchal system and shaped by Iberian people alongside those of African origin. In 1889, the Republic launched a restructuration of the family system. A new family system was built for the white families with European Catholic backgrounds, where social control and clear morals were predetermined. During the 19th century the government tried to attract white immigrants from Europe including Spain, Italy, Germany and in particular Northern European countries like Finland, in order to prosper the country economically. The religious influence is clearly evident as well as Brazil today in the largest Catholic country in the world. Brazil wanted its independence from Portugal in 1882, however that did not mean that the minority European elite would stop dominating the Brazilian political system. Rather it took a much longer time, after World War II, for Brazil to follow a pattern of assimilation. The 2nd and 3rd generation settled and became economically stronger which allowed for a real Brazilian identity to take shape and a common language to be established.
Nowadays Brazil shares a national culture, "making Brazil a trues case of unity in diversity"[http://www.wwu.edu/culture/DennenTorres.htm]. Whether it's the language, the religion or the law constitution, Brazil, the 5th largest country in the world by geography and its people insist that they are unique, self-contained "race" separate of the rest of Latin America.
The first group is based on the African roots (the African slaves who were present for a long time from 1500 to 1850). They all came from various African cultural groups with diverse systems such as matriarchal, patriarchal, polygamous, with different religions, languages and rituals. Many families in the North-East of Brazil have their family systems shaped by their slave background and are still part of the low-income class. The most shocking aspect is that this class has severed their family bonds, because during the slavery period they were sold from their "owners" and the family members were separated.
The second model is a traditional one based on a patriarchal system and shaped by Iberian people alongside those of African origin. In 1889, the Republic launched a restructuration of the family system. A new family system was built for the white families with European Catholic backgrounds, where social control and clear morals were predetermined. During the 19th century the government tried to attract white immigrants from Europe including Spain, Italy, Germany and in particular Northern European countries like Finland, in order to prosper the country economically. The religious influence is clearly evident as well as Brazil today in the largest Catholic country in the world. Brazil wanted its independence from Portugal in 1882, however that did not mean that the minority European elite would stop dominating the Brazilian political system. Rather it took a much longer time, after World War II, for Brazil to follow a pattern of assimilation. The 2nd and 3rd generation settled and became economically stronger which allowed for a real Brazilian identity to take shape and a common language to be established.
Nowadays Brazil shares a national culture, "making Brazil a trues case of unity in diversity"[http://www.wwu.edu/culture/DennenTorres.htm]. Whether it's the language, the religion or the law constitution, Brazil, the 5th largest country in the world by geography and its people insist that they are unique, self-contained "race" separate of the rest of Latin America.
Social classes: The A-B-C-D-E system
The population in Brazil general is divided into social classes who were already established in the early 50's during the economic boom. Marketers segmented the 190 million people living in Brazil, because the gap between poor and rich was and still is incredibly big and reveals different levels of social status. The social class is exclusively defined on the income and is categorized in a A-B-C-D-E system.
http://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/social-classes-in-brazil
The following table illustrates the differences between these classes on an educational level, the occupation and the income.
|
|
Classes A + B
|
Class C
|
Class D
|
Class E
|
|
Educational Level
|
•
Usually completed higher education
•
The younger generations of these classes tend to
be fluent in several languages
|
•
Finished at high school
•
Some completed higher education or at least have a
technical level degree
|
•
NO high school degree
|
•
Have not finished elementary school, or illiterate
people
|
|
Occupation
|
•
A
mostly bankers, investors, business owners, major landowners and people with extraordinary skills for the industry they operate in
•
B
Directors and managers, politicians, judges, justices, prosecutors, well graduated professors, doctors, well qualified engineers lawyers, etc. |
•
Provide services directly to the wealthier
groups, such as teachers, managers, mechanics, electricians, nurses, etc.
|
•
Provide services to Class C, such as housemaids,
bartenders, bricklayers, people who work for the civil construction companies,
small stores sellers, low-paid drivers, etc.
|
•
Earn minimum salaries, such as cleaners,
street sweepers, and also by unemployed people.
|
|
Monthly income
|
A1 > $3.197
A2 = $1.948 - 3.197
B1 = $ 1.171 - 1.948
B2 = $ 704 - 1.171
|
C = $ 238 - 704
|
D = $ 108 - 238
|
E < $ 108
|
http://emerging-markets-research.hktdc.com/business-news/vp-article/en/1/1X07G7VK.htm
According to our Brazilian Specialist the incomes in Sao Paolo are way higher, especially for class A, B and C. Due to the fact that their is no statistics available, we estimate a minimum income of $870 for class B (thus the maximum income for C) and a maximum of 2900$ (thus the minimum income of class ).
Concerning the economic wealth distribution, there is no distinction into the five-fold regional division . There is a division between the wealthy south and the poor north, often referred to as the "two Brazils". Brazilians identify themselves particularly strongly to their place of birth, the divergence between regional and urban territory is also crucial, because the urban people consider themselves as "sophisticated" like the citizens of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo who are known for their derogatory talk about the poorer classes referring to them "uneducated hicks". [http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Brazil.html]
Brazil is in a whirl of change, in the last decade 40 million Brazilian pushed out of the poverty line and around half of the population is part of the so called "middle class" which is the class C. The 94.9 million middle class Brazilians represent just over half of the population at 50.5%. They hold significant power in elections and as a result draw larger political coverage as their votes theoretically decide election campaigns. Economically they are also influential with their purchasing power larger than that of the classes A and B put together. They predominantly boost consumption and as a result are beginning to demand more rights and awareness as consumers and as citizens from the politicians and government. It's important to realize is that there are very little similarities and comparisons that can be made between the European middle class and the Brazilian middle class. Brazil's middle class are just starting to growth and are often still suffering from their financial circumstances. Compared to the D and E classes, only the C-Class (remembering that monthly income is between $US 238 - 704), can really live with their income and can also afford household additions like televisions, a dishwasher or a phone.
Sources:
[http://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/social-classes-in-brazil
[http://www.wwu.edu/culture/DennenTorres.htm]
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Brazil.html http://thebrazilbusiness.com/article/social-classes-in-brazil http://emerging-markets-research.hktdc.com/business-news/vp-article/en/1/1X07G7VK.htm
Pictures: http://i.imgur.com/rhX5M.jpg?2646
http://www.american.com/archive/2012/february/how-taxing-the-rich-harms-the-middle-class/FeaturedImage
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)