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Venezuela Workers and the Urban Lower Class
Massive rural-to-urban migration has resulted in the
emergence of a burgeoning urban lower class, the most
successful
members of which have become urban workers. In the
Venezuelan
social view, the lower class consisted of those in
low-status
occupations (usually manual), the illiterate, and recent
immigrants from the countryside. For many, the transition
was
traumatic and stressful, as epitomized by the presence of
innumerable abandoned children in the streets of the
capital
city. Nonetheless, several studies indicated that most
migrants
felt that they had made the right move in spite of the
hardships
and disappointments. Most were confident that the urban
environment would help ensure greater prosperity and
opportunity
for their children.
The urban lower class has not been ignored politically.
Political parties made concerted efforts to enlist urban
workers
into their affiliated unions, and the government has also
attempted to "normalize" squatter settlements by providing
legal
title, utilities, and other services. Nevertheless, the
1989 food
riots that shook Caracas and left an estimated 300 dead
demonstrated that many of the urban poor deeply resented
the
sociopolitical system in spite of numerous partisan and
government efforts in their behalf
(see Threats to Internal Security
, ch. 5).
The inroads made among the urban poor class by
Protestant
evangelical and charismatic sects provided another
manifestation
of this sense of alienation. Perhaps sensing that its
traditional
hold was being challenged, the Roman Catholic Church
renewed
efforts during the 1980s to reach out to this group of
Venezuelans. Church-sponsored neighborhood organizations,
whether
Catholic or Protestant, tried to respond to the slum
dwellers'
immediate needs, such as gaining title to their
ranchos.
The churches also sought to improve the future
opportunities for
the children of the lower class. For many migrants, the
expectation of greater opportunities for children was the
major
reason for coming to the barrio in the first place. Barrio
residents also benefited to a limited extent from programs
sponsored by political parties. Despite the hardships
imposed by
poverty and the alienation produced by a consumer culture,
Venezuelan barrios were surprisingly stable. These
communities
were socially and politically integrated into the local
and
national systems, and their inhabitants generally
perceived even
the mean circumstances of urban slum life as representing
improvements over their previous living conditions.
Data as of December 1990
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