Since the dawn of racism, people have always passed judgment on each other based on ethnicity and race. The views of people based on their place of origin, cultural background, and skin color has caused stratification among men and people. The result is that there are majority and minority groups, segregation, hate groups, income differences, and ethnic enclaves. All these are caused by the issue of race or ethnicity. While all human beings struggle with each other for various resources, race and ethnic stratification presents an unequal distribution of resources. Mexico is an ethnically diverse country that has experienced racism and ethnic stratification. This paper analyzes ethnic stratification in Mexico and compares it with that of the United States.
Mexico
Description of Mexico
Mexico is a country with a population of over 123 million, it ranks among the 11th most populous country in the world. It is one of the most Spanish-speaking country where it falls third after Brazil and the United States. Mexico is a federation that is made of 31 states and a special federal entity which is the capital city. The large demographic of the country is composed of youths. However, the annual population growth of the country in the past five years was less than 1%. The most populated city in the country is Mexico City, the capital city, which has a population of 8.9 million. The metropolitan regions of the country are mostly highly populated and have a total population of 20.1 million people. More than 50% of the population in the country live in the 55 large metropolitan areas spread across the country.
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Ethnic Groups in the country
The generational population of Mexico is composed of several ethnic groups that include indigenous American Indians, Mexicans of European origins, mestizos, Mexican blacks, and Arabs. The Mestizo is composed of a mixture of European and indigenous peoples which has produced the largest segment of population in the country. The Mestizo population accounts for about 64.3% of the entire population. The Mexican white of the European origin account for 15% of the entire population. The indigenous American Indians comprise of 18% of the entire population. The other population segment of the population is composed of Arabs, and Mexican blacks that make 2.7% of the entire population.
Ethnic Stratification
Ethnic Stratification is seen in Mexico through discrimination against the indigenous Mexico population. The indigenous in Mexico makes one of the poorest people in its society. Discrimination occurs because there is a highly unequal society with the indigenous population being left behind in terms of concentration of wealth and political poor. While there have been efforts to promote ethnic equality as a central pillar in the country, the indigenous people in the region remain as one of the poorest people in the region. The indigenous people suffer from relentless discrimination through their nature of work and being capital owners.
Another form of stratification is seen in the level of education of various races and ethnic groups. Mexican data shows that people with white school complete more years of schooling compared to those that have browner skin. The white skin mostly include white Mexicans of European origin, they have an average completion of schooling of 10 years compared to the darker skinned Mexicans that have 6.5 years. This is a wide 45% gap in educational achievement between the light and darker skinned Mexicans.
Ethnic Problems or Harmony
Prejudice and discrimination
Mexico is a country that experiences a relatively high degree of ethnic problems. One form of prejudice and discrimination is in the awarding of jobs. This is especially seen in the metropolitan areas in the country where the highest paying and most important jobs go to the whites. The whites are also perceived to have the best education compared to the other ethnic groups. The Mexican white Europeans are mostly seen in television, politics, and academia. However, when one goes to construction sites, one will most likely find brown and dark-skinned individuals. The priciest neighborhoods and homeowners are usually light skinned while the housekeepers are brown or dark.
Examples of ethnic problems
Ethnic problems in Mexico are mostly experienced by the Indigenous Americans that have lower levels of education, income, wealth, and political power compared to non-Hispanic Whites or Blacks (Creighton et al., 2015). The result is that there is an unequal distribution of wealth in the country with one region being wealthy while the other struggling. The indigenous people feel mostly oppressed because of their inability to compete equally with the other population group. Additionally, most Indigenous Americans lack basic amenities such as having running water or a home bathroom (Polanco, 2018).
Consequences of discrimination of ethnic problems
One of the consequences of the impoverished indigenous population is that they are concentrated in the rural and informal sectors. They have very little access to credit, have underdeveloped human resources, and have a restricted geographic and occupational mobility. They have few skills, low access to social services and are thus incapable of coping up with changes caused by economic adjustments. There is an economic crisis that can contribute to ethnic conflicts. Such ethnic conflicts can occur as a result of the effect of traditional land rights, state programs for linguistic and cultural recognition, and opportunities for economic improvement (Lustig et al., 2013).
Examples of consequences
One example of the consequence of ethnic problems in the region was the Chiapas conflict. The Chiapas conflict started out in 1994 when more than 2,000 armed Indian peasants attacked several towns in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas. The attacks were mostly motivated by the failures of political and economic liberalization and human rights abuses. The rural sector has mostly been depressed for a long time. The coming of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and unfair communal land laws saw the rise of the conflict. While the conflict ended after several weeks, the effects can be seen today with the native community in the Chiapas region being mostly at conflict with those of other ethnic groups (Collins, 2010).
Research on Ethnicity in Mexico
Experts on Ethnic Problems in Mexico
Several scholars have argued that the ethnic problems in Mexico is as a result of the indigenous generation being treated as a marginalized racial group. Some have argued that the gap is seen in the low levels of education from the previous generations. The gap has thus been passed and continues to be persistent to the fourth generation (Polanco, 2018). Various contemporary analysts have also noted the cultural and economic variables that has resulted in the indigenous population being left out. The indigenous Americans are mostly left out because they live in rural locations. This makes it impossible for them to access basic amenities.
Comparison with the United States
Ethnic groups in the United States
The United States of America is an ethnically and racially diverse population. According to the Census of the United States, there are six racial categories that include: White American, African American or Black, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian. Additionally, there is a classification of Americans as being Hispanic or non-Hispanic. The grouping identifies Hispanics as an ethnicity which comprises of the largest minority group within the nation. The total White population including the Hispanics makes 76.9% if the population while the white non-Hispanic population makes 61.3% of the total population. African Americans make up an estimated 12.7% of the population while the Hispanics amount to 17.8% of the population.
Ethnic stratification system in the United States
Ethnic stratification is evident in the United States by the wealth disparity in the different ethnic groups. The Latinos and Blacks have mostly been left behind in terms of wealth, education, and politics. Compared to the whites, Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans have lower family incomes and higher levels of poverty. According to Krivo, racial and ethnic differences are apparent in housing and wealth inequality in the United States (2004). Additionally, they are less likely to have college degrees. Statistics show that African Americans and Native Americans have higher infant mortality rates compared to whites (Kao and Thompson, 2003).
Ethnic conflict and discrimination in the United States
Ethnic conflicts and discrimination in the United States is seen in discrimination against minority groups. American whites enjoy certain privileges because of their ethnicity and color while the minority groups face several challenges. For example, blacks fear that a police officer may stop them because they are simply black. Blacks cannot move easily into a neighborhood they want. On the other hand whites can move into a neighborhood of their choice as long as they can afford mortgage or rent. The result of such ethnic conflicts and discrimination has been the rise of hate crimes base on race (Darity et al., 1997).
Similarities between Mexico and the United States
Similarity among ethnic groups
Both Mexico and the United States have similar ethnic groups that is diverse. The general population in the two countries is made of Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and people of Asian origin. The general population in both countries have a dominant race, the dominant race in Mexico are the Mestizos while the dominant race in the United States are Whites. The black population in both countries forms the minority groups.
Similarity in ethnic stratification
Both countries are similar in the form of ethnic disparity that exists. The ways the disparity appears in both countries are essentially the same. The minority groups experience stratification in terms of education, wealth, income, and political power. Ethnic stratification in both countries affects only the minority groups. The majority groups in both countries fare quite well. In Mexico, the indigenous population face a greater degree of poverty and poor access to basic needs. In the United States, the minority groups that include the Black population experience low levels of education and poverty.
Similarity in Ethnic Conflicts
Ethnic conflicts in both countries have mostly resulted in protests from the minority groups. The Chiapas conflict is one historical example of protests as a result of the oppression of minority groups. The indigenous population came out to protest for the unfair economic policies and unfair land rights. In the United States, the Black community has been notable to come out in protests to racism and hate crimes. This has seen the evolution of the Black Lives Matter movement. Throughout history, the black minority group has mostly come out to protest against racism and equality.
Similarity in research
Research in both countries agree that ethnic inequality is a critical problem that should be addressed in both countries. The reasons of ethnic inequality in both countries are similar. In Mexico, the reasons of ethnic inequality is because the indigenous population lives in rural areas that are far from basic amenities. The passing of issues of poverty happens from one generation to the next leading to ethnic stratification. Ethnic inequality in the United States is also as a result of the minority groups living in marginalized areas that have poor access to basic amenities. Poverty is passed on from one generation to the next leading to a persistent issue.
Differences between Mexico and the United States
Differences in ethnic groups
One major difference in ethnic groups in both countries is the ethnic group which makes up the large part of the population. In Mexico the large part of the population is made of Mestizo that are as a result of the mixture of European Whites and the indigenous population. In the United States, the majority group are the White population. The Hispanic population is a minority group in the United States but makes a large part of the Mexican population.
Difference in ethnic stratification
The difference in ethnic stratification in both countries varies in the spread and severity. The ethnic group that experiences much stratification in Mexico are the indigenous American Indian population. This population mostly lives in rural areas and have poor access to basic amenities. Ethnic stratification is quite severe in the United States as it is experienced by all minority groups. The blacks, Hispanics, and indigenous American Indians are all left behind in terms of wealth and education.
Difference in ethnic conflicts
The nature of ethnic conflicts in both countries are also different in terms of severity. The Chiapas conflict in Mexico occurred several decades back and did not spread widely. However, the United States has seen most of its minority group conflict with the majority groups. There have been several conflicts due to prejudice and discrimination. Hate crimes against the black people is widespread in the United States. Several reports by the general media today reports some form of racism that indicate the presence of ethnic conflicts.
Differences garnered from research
Research on ethnic inequality in both countries suggest that the general Mexico population does not speak out while the United States population speaks out against racism. Experts have noted that racism is apparent in both Mexico and the United States, the difference is that the United States population widely reports several forms of ethnic and racial conflicts through its media channels. The general perception is thus that Mexico is more racially and ethnic accepting compared to the United States. However, research shows that ethnicity and racism exists in Mexico.
Conclusion
Analysis on ethnic stratification in Mexico and comparison to that of the United States shows that ethnicity is a critical problem in both countries. In Mexico, minority groups that mostly includes the Indigenous American population experience several forms of ethnic inequality. In the United States, minority groups that include Blacks, Hispanics, and Native American Indians experience racism and inequality. Ethnic stratification appears in both countries through inequality in education, wealth, and political power. Racism and ethnicity is quite apparent in both countries and the minority group protests against it.
References
Collins, S. D. (2010). Indigenous rights and internal wars: The Chiapas conflict at 15 years. The Social Science Journal , 47 (4), 773-788.
Creighton, M. J., Post, D., & Park, H. (2015). Ethnic inequality in mexican education. Social Forces , 94 (3), 1187-1220.
Darity, W., Dietrich, J., & Guilkey, D. K. (1997). Racial and ethnic inequality in the United States: a secular perspective. The American Economic Review , 87 (2), 301-305.
Kao, G., & Thompson, J. S. (2003). Racial and ethnic stratification in educational achievement and attainment. Annual review of sociology , 29 (1), 417-442.
Krivo, L. J., & Kaufman, R. L. (2004). Housing and wealth inequality: Racial-ethnic differences in home equity in the United States. Demography , 41 (3), 585-605.
Lustig, N., Lopez-Calva, L. F., & Ortiz-Juarez, E. (2013). Declining inequality in Latin America in the 2000s: the cases of Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. World Development , 44 , 129-141.
Polanco, H. D. (2018). Indigenous peoples in Latin America: The quest for self-determination . Routledge.
