There is also a divide in the lifestyle between urbanites and those living in more
rural areas. City life is more active as people have more accessibility to numerous
amenities, public transportation is common, schools are closer, and the entertainment
options are numerous. Likewise, some beach resort towns, although small, offer many
of these same amenities due to tourists, which also provides jobs.
Religion also plays a role in the way of life for many people. Many people attend
church every Sunday and for many schools, holy week is off of school to celebrate
Easter. For those who regularly attend church on Sundays, it is often followed up
with socialization with neighbors and other church goers and the day may be spent
at home with family.
Identity
The people of the Dominican Republic generally
identify as being Dominican (with the stress being on the first "i," not
to be confused with the term of the same name by which the people of
Dominica identify), but how this is defined is rather confusing. The people
have been trained to believe (under European rule) that skin
color dictates social standing and today there is a belief that the lighter color
a person's skin, the better social standing that person holds. This has created
an identity that refuses to accept the people's African
past and shuns those with darker skin. These people with darker skin, who are the
majority, call themselves "Indio," and claim their skin color is due to
their American Indian heritage, which is only true in rare cases and, when true,
is generally a very small percentage of their ethnic make-up. Due to this mentality,
"Dominican" is defined by speaking Spanish as well
as other European traits, such as being a member of the Catholic Church. By this
definition, nearly every citizen of the Dominican Republic is included in the identity,
but the people are significantly divided on social terms based on skin color.