Social Mobility Trajectories of Indigenous Women in Chile: An Intersectional Perspective from Southern Feminisms

Abstract

This article analyses the barriers faced by Indigenous women in their upward social mobility trajectories in Chile. Based on 34 biographical interviews with Quechua, Aymara, and Mapuche professionals from the regions of Arica and Parinacota, Metropolitan, and La Araucanía, it examines how class, gender and ethnicity intersect in shaping their experiences. The results show that Indigenous women’s trajectories face greater inequalities arising from the intersection of these categories. These barriers are expressed in the limitations to accessing more privileged social positions—conceptualised as an “Indigenous glass ceiling”—and in the persistence of gender-based violence within their family and community environments. The article argues that ethnicity is not only a key dimension for understanding Indigenous social mobility, but that gender differences within ethnic groups themselves generate additional inequalities. From an intersectional perspective and the standpoint of Southern feminisms, it contends that these dimensions must be analysed in an integrated manner to understand how social trajectories are configured. It suggests that future research should compare these findings with the trajectories of men and non-Indigenous populations in Chile to deepen the understanding of social exclusion mechanisms.