Ecuadorians is known to be the second largest immigrants to migrate in New York and as well as Spain. In the last 25 years, Ecuador has accomplished two main waves of emigration where about15 percent of Ecuadorians were sent overseas in Spain, United States, Italy, Venezuela, with a small amount were in Chile. Ecuadorian emigration in 1960 was nominal. A limited amount of people migrated to Venezuela and to United States by 1940. According to Jokish, “The U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics (part of the Department of Homeland Security) reports that 11,025 Ecuadorians received lawful permanent resident status from 1930 to 1959. By the 1960s, small communities of Ecuadorians could be found in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.” (P. 1) Similar to other Central America countries, Ecuador typically relies on the funds of migrants send home. Jokish states that, “The Inter-American Development Bank estimated that Ecuador received $2.0 billion in remittances in 2004, equivalent to 6.7 percent of its GDP and second only to oil exports; 14 percent of adults in Ecuador receive remittances regularly.” (P.1)
About 75 percent of remittances were used mainly for basic household needs including education, food, medicine and debts. In 2006, migrants were required to compensate coyotes or document forgers around $12,500 a year for clandestine travel to the United States. After paying off for the basic needs and their debts are paid off, Ecuadorians assembled new homes. In today’s society in Ecuador, their first role entails to be mothers first. In Ecuador’s culture, they are discriminated in many areas; they have minimal access to education and employment opportunities and violence against women is an endless issue that has been around for years. It wasn’t until 1980 when their roles are changing when only place for them was their home and they have more