Chile’s forgotten consumers: Poor urban families, consumption strategies, and the moral economy of risk in Santiago

Abstract

In recent years, scholars, government officials, journalists, and citizens have perceived profound changes in Chile’s consumption infrastructure (retail formats, advertising, mass media, technology, and credit), and consumer attitudes and practices. Some scholars argue that lower-and middle-income groups improve their social status by imitating elite consumption styles. As a result, they argue, political participation and social solidarity have declined (Moulian 1997, 1998; Tironi 1999; Van Bavel and Sell-Trujillo 2003). Others contend that Chilean consumption patterns reflect a society-wide process of individualization (PNUD 2002; Larraín 2001). In contrast, some scholars find that women and low-income consumers exercise self-restraint in purchases, use consumption as a means to strengthen family relationships, and also that women’s growing employment and consumption have made them increasingly politicized (Stillerman 2004, 2008; Tinsman 2006). In this chapter, I expand on the latter view by examining low-income consumers’ experiences in two of Santiago’s poorest municipalities. I argue that we can best understand low-income consumers in relation to their limited incomes, perceived gender and family roles, and financial vulnerability. These consumers limit their expenses, access resources via personal networks, and articulate modest aspirations.