Today, in the city of Temuco, Balloon Latam participated in the organization of the territorial return of the Ascendente Social Mobility Study, work led by the Center for Conflict and Social Cohesion Studies, Dr. María Luisa Mendez layera, as part of the research project titled “Successful Trajectories of Social Mobility in Contemporary Chile: Individual, territorial and Structural Dynamics in Tackling Wealth Inequality”, funded by Julius Baer Foundation, supported by Balloon Latam and in collaboration in the territorial return by the Chilean Chamber of Construction.
The objective of the research consisted of more than 300 interviews with people who have accessed a higher socioeconomic level, status or recognition than their fathers, mothers or caregivers, with questions linked to aspirations for social mobility, the role played by elites and the institutions within them around individual, territorial and structural dynamics in addressing wealth inequality.
Some key takeaways:
The research highlights that there is growing concern that the current generation of young Chileans will not be able to surpass or even equal the socioeconomic level of their parents. This phenomenon highlights the need to address major issues in public discourse, such as indigenous identity and its relationship with social mobility.
Elites are perceived as closed and homogeneous groups whose inner circles will never be open to people who were born in this circle.
While some indigenous communities have seen their identity strengthened through social mobility, other generations perceive an incompatibility between this and their cultural identity.
The disparity between urban and rural, pointing out that the difficulties in achieving social mobility from rural areas are particularly pronounced in the first generation.
Luck was a narrative concept quite present in the responses of the people interviewed.
We thank the important assistance of: Ronald Kliebs Yanez; SEREMI of Hacienda Nelson Curiñir; Cristian Campomanes Gutiérrez, general director of IncubatecUFRO; Marietta Alicia Gedda Muñoz, consultant UN Women, to the Machi Lof Huilio; Ana Millalen; leaders and representatives of the Balloon Latam community.
