Artículos de revistas
Social inequality in contemporary Argentina
Fecha
2017Registro en:
2519-8688
Autor
Salvia, Agustín
Rubio, María Berenice
Institución
Resumen
Most Latin American societies have been marked by underdevelopment and stark inequalities.
In the mid-twentieth century, however, Argentinian society seemed to illustrate an alternative:
high urbanization, full employment, universal healthcare and education, advanced intermediate
industrialization and an extensive middle class – a relatively integrated society with moderate
inequality and much social mobility.
But this society changed dramatically, having to abandon its longed-for future of progress.
Indeed, particularly at the end of the twentieth century, in the context of neoliberal structural
reforms, Argentinian society could not avoid the trap of underdevelopment: economic
liberalization, trade openness and financial flexibilization resulted in instability, rising
unemployment, poverty and social marginality, with deteriorating public health, education and
social protection.
These processes produced a society marked by deep inequalities, internal conflicts and social
unrest, a cycle that produced the economic, social and political crisis of 2001-2, the deepest in
Argentina’s modern history.
In contrast, the first decade of the 21st century, helped by a favorable international context,
proved that some economic, occupational, social, political and institutional recovery was
possible. But this period did not last long: the economy stagnated, and society’s structural
fragmentation became evident once again. By 2015, Argentinian society included several
different layers of marginalized, poor and excluded segments. About 30% of the population
could be considered poor, with 6% living in extreme poverty, unable to afford adequate food for
their household. Poverty was exacerbated by extensive urban marginality: 35% of the
households did not have sewers, 20% lacked running water and 15% resided in precarious
housing.
In response to these impoverished social conditions, different readings have oscillated between
denial, chauvinism and victimization. All too often, Argentinians imagine they live in a society
that is homogeneous, cohesive, integrated and meritocratic, a stereotyped mythical image
promoted by the state during the process of nation building, and later reinforced by the
development of a relatively well-off urban middle class...