Concordia, Entre Ríos is a city with significant tourism potential, based on its natural beauty and local attractions, as well as a vibrant commercial economy. However, poverty is concentrated on the outskirts of the city, where social inequality is pronounced and many families rely on informal employment, especially in agricultural sectors such as blueberry and citrus plantations. The lack of access to formal employment and educational opportunities limits these families’ chances of improving their living conditions, perpetuating cycles of intergenerational poverty.
In the outskirts of Concordia, Entre Ríos, more than 59% of mothers live in poverty and lack access to basic education and formal employment (Social Research Center (CIS), UADE Foundation, Voices! Research and Consultancy, 2023). The consequences of this situation include low educational levels, as the absence of literacy and schooling limits their development and employability; dependence on informal work, which offers neither social security nor economic stability—particularly in plantations—perpetuating precarious living conditions; the persistence of intergenerational poverty, where children grow up in environments marked by economic and educational deprivation, reducing their chances of upward mobility; and increasing social inequality, which widens the gap between peripheral areas and urban zones with better services and opportunities.
The root causes of poverty and socioeconomic exclusion in Concordia, particularly for mothers from low socioeconomic backgrounds, can be traced to various interconnected factors. These include low levels of education and high illiteracy rates, as many mothers have not completed basic education, which limits their access to well-paying formal employment and sustains dependence on poorly paid informal jobs. Limited access to formal employment opportunities, due to a lack of training in market-relevant skills and weak ties to the formal labor sector, prevents them from securing stable jobs that offer social security and benefits. Gender inequality also plays a key role, as the heavy burden of domestic and childcare responsibilities, combined with traditional gender roles, restricts women’s participation in economic and educational opportunities. The lack of support networks and community cohesion further reduces mothers’ access to resources and training or employment programs that could help them improve their economic situation. Additionally, the scarcity of educational infrastructure and resources, including the lack of accessible literacy programs, exacerbates the problem, making it more difficult for mothers to complete their education and acquire skills relevant to the labor market.
