Ecuador

- Religion

Ecuador’s religion comprises around 94% of Ecuadorians as Roman Catholics since they have been colonized by Spain for quite a time.  As Catholics, Ecuadorians practices attending the mass regularly and strongly devotes their faith to Catholicism.  However, in every other Latin American nation, Protestant Evangelicalism has had massive growth and other religious group like the Jehovah’s Witness and Mormons has also seen increasing numbers.  Despite of the decrease in numbers, Ecuadorian people as being traditional, practices being a Catholic will proved to be resistant into shifting to another religion.  In lieu to establishing of religion, it has been embodied by Ecuador’s constitution that guarantees the freedom of religion.  In 1979, in title two article 19 of the constitution states, the following provisions relating to freedom of religion; section 5, all forms of discrimination for reasons of religion are forbidden; section 6, freedom of conscience and religion, individually and collectively, in public and in private.  Persons can freely practice the faith that they prefer, except for the limitations prescribed by law to protect the security, public morality and fundamental rights of the persons. And section 15, the right to privacy concerning political and religious convictions.  No one may be required to manifest his convictions except in cases prescribed.

 

 

 

- Ethnicity/Ethnic Groups

 

The population of Ecuador is ethically diverse.  Of the estimated 11 million people population of Ecuador, 65% constitutes the majority ethnic group being the mestizos.  Next majority ethnic group consists of the Amerindians ethnic group that accounts the one-fourth of the total population of Ecuador.  The mainly criollos on one hand, accounted for 7% of the major ethnic group.  The small minority of Afro-Ecuadorian like Mulattos and zambos constitutes the remainder fraction of the total population.  Interestingly, in the Amazonian jungle, 3% of the population is of Amazonian Native Americans group.

 

 - Relationships

 

In terms of relationship with foreign relations of Ecuador, Ecuador emphasized on multilateral approaches in international dealings.  Ecuador including most of its specialized agencies is a member of the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of American States (OAS) and is also an affiliate member on many regional groups in the Latin America region, namely, the Rio Group, the Latin American Economic System, the Latin American Energy Organization, the Latin American Integration Association and the Andean Pact.  All of which tells us that when in comes to foreign relationships; Ecuador has been supported by many organizations and thus, will imply that Ecuador has developed and maintained special ties with the said organizations.

In a dispute against Peru, Ecuador for 50 years sustained the 1942 Rio Protocol of Peace, Friendship and Boundaries in spite of which there were several issues unresolved.  Ecuador’s commitment of not engaging into aggressive means of compromise and settlement seem to have centrally flourished to its maximum.  Although, there were at times when hostility had erupted because of the unresolved feud between the two countries but nevertheless, the demarcation issue has been settled in the year 1999 when both Peru and Ecuador had set borders in their respective jurisdictions.

However, the relationships in terms of the people, Ecuadorians are being characterized as having close ties that is brought about by the influence the Spaniards have cultivated to the Ecuadorians.  Traditionally, they provide emphasis in the giving of respect to the males, as being the dominant gender in Ecuador.  Further, the relationship is not good for Ecuadorian in spite of having close ties, because Ecuadorian people are being divided into classes.  The higher class gets to have close ties with an Ecuadorian with a high status also but they do not engage in having close ties with the people of the lower class.

-       Class Structure

In the late 1980’s, the elites of Ecuador includes the Sierra latifundistas (landowners), the Costa agro-exporters, financiers and the industrialists.  The cohesion among the elites continues to strengthen such that there are intragroup ties among the elites such as kinship and marriage between rich families.  The hacienderos as being the elites controls much of the land and are therefore, more likely to get richer.  Ecuador’s large cities and towns comprise the much diverse middle class that in grew in numbers during the 20th century.  Among the middle class are the businessmen, professionals, clerical employees, mid-level bureaucrats and managers, the army officers and teachers.  The lower level of middle class is made up of the upper echelons which are identified and emulated the elite.  Lastly, the peasants that comprises the majority of Ecuadorian populace which came from the rural social life, and are subjects to the control of hacienderos as they are being denied access to lands, if ever they have access to lands, the peasants are still subject with limited options. 

 

- Sources of National Pride

In every country in spite of the many dilemmas and the “bad image” one elicits in the world, there exists the sense of national pride of being a citizen of a particular country.  The sense of pride Ecuador can show to the world is their economy.  Ecuadorian economy as being based on petroleum, money transfers and in the exporting of world class products of bananas, shrimps and other primarily agricultural products takes price as being the world’s largest exporter of bananas and shrimps.  In 2002, almost half of its export earnings came from the exportation of oil that accounted for about one-third of public sector revenue.  The completion of the second Transandeal Oil Pipeline enables the expansion of Ecuador’s exports on oil such that it will double the oil transport capacity of Ecuador.  Simply stated, it is the beauty of the natural resources of Ecuador the Ecuadorians takes pride on which comprises 40% of Ecuador.  There are also interesting people who place Equador in the map in the fields of painting and sculpture, poetry, sports and in the entertainment industry.  To name a few famous people that is known not only in Ecuador but also in the world are José Joaquin de Olmedo, Jorge Icaza Coronel, Benjamin Urrutia, Nicolas Lapentti, Jefferson Pérez, Maldonado, Bernardo de Legarda and so on.

 

- Ratings on Hofstede’s dimensions

 

The Geert Hofstede analysis for Ecuador shares similarities to other Latin American countries.  The rating of Power Distance Index (PDI) of Ecuador is 78 that are indicative of the high level of inequalities between the power and wealth among the people allowing the gap between the rich and the poor to further widen.  In terms of individualism, Ecuador has low rating on individualism (only 8) that typifies the emphasis placed on close ties Ecuadorian people engages into.  The Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), constitute 67 rating from the Hofstede’s ratings that tells us that Ecuador as a country have low tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity as shown that Ecuadorians have high concern for rules, regulations and controls and is resistant to change and the risk of adverse negative output.  And the rating for masculinity is high for masculinity since Ecuador’s population is mostly men.  Gender differentiation of roles is considerable of high degree and same as gender stereotyping. 

 

 

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