Perceptions of uncertainty, individualization and social inequalities in Monterrey, Mexico

Abstract

Recent debates on risks and social changes indicate that, for a variety of reasons, social life is being severely affected by a generalized, omnipresent sense of uncertainty, which is not related to specific fears of particular social groups, but rather to an orientation towards greater individualization in contemporary societies. These debates also argue that such perceptions are less permeated by classic inequalities, such as social class or gender. This paper submits these general postulates of the sociology of risk to empirical verification based on a case study in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. Through quantitative data analysis, findings indicate that, far from constituting a homogeneous social change, both the perceptions of uncertainty and the orientations towards individualization are permeated by social inequality.