During the 1990s that the Hispanic American community in the U.S. began increasing at almost four times the rate at which the country’s entire population figures were rising mainly due to the influx of immigrants and the high birth rate of the Hispanic community already present there. It is this statistic that has led sociologists to predict that in the next five decades, Hispanic Americans that are a minority today will account for almost half of the American population.
In addition to being one of the fastest growing ethnic minorities, Hispanic Americans are also predominantly young, and thanks to their close-knit communal ties, they prefer to live in locations where there is already a strong Hispanic presence. Traditionally, this would have been in the Southwest states alone, but the last few years saw an increase in the Hispanic presence in the Midwest. This is because of an increasing demand of cheap yet skilled labor for the booming industrial setups there, from construction factories to poultry farms and meat packing facilities. Despite this shift from Southwest to the Midwest, it is interesting that the majority of Hispanics remains concentrated in Los Angeles, Texas, Miami, New York, Houston and San Francisco .
A common misconception is that Hispanic Americans or Latinos are Mexican. Actually, the Hispanic ethnic group includes all individuals who trace their ancestry to the Spanish speaking nations of Latin America as well as the Iberian Peninsula and include Central as well as South Americans. As such, when it comes to socio-economic status, there is a wide discrepancy within the Hispanic community. Income data suggest that across the diverse groups that constitute Hispanic Americans, there is considerable variation; Cuban and South American families are at the top of the earnings ladder, followed by Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans.
This wide-ranging difference in wealth within the Hispanic community is primarily because of differences in the professions that the Hispanic groups are engaged in, their level of education and skills as well as the extent of work experience acquired . Since South Americans have been living in the U.S. for longer, are better educated and have more marketable skills, therefore they end up with higher-paying, management level jobs when compared to the less skilled Dominicans or Mexicans.
In fact, the income disparity that has created a widening wealth gap within Hispanic community is also the main factor that has been identified for the lower household median incomes of Hispanics when compared to non-Hispanic white population in the U.S. Interestingly enough, for some Hispanic groups, their living conditions as well as quality of life is almost similar to that of African Americans. However, with increasing awareness, a significant number of the Latinos born in the U.S are focused on getting a good education; the increasing enrollment figures, according to sociologists, are an encouraging sign and will likely go a long way in reducing the number of Hispanics constituting the ‘poor class’ of America.
One less discussed factor creating the reduced representation of Hispanics in lucrative employment sectors is also the timing of their migration. In the post-industrial U.S economy, there was stiff competition for jobs, not only from the indigenous population, but also from the variety of immigrant groups that traveled there to look for work . This meant that only those people were able to have stable, above average incomes who had experience and a well-rounded skill set.
In my opinion, this is why the Cubans, right from the time they migrated, even though they were ‘late guests to the party’ compared to Mexicans and Dominicans, but since the majority of Cuban immigrants were educated and skilled, they were immediately able to establish secure employment and a comfortable life for themselves.
Consequently, this greater economic power resulted in more involvement in the political sphere as well. Today, there are several Latino Americans who have been elected to Congress and other public offices, an indicator of their increasing influence and assimilation in the American culture. Their political importance is also evident from the fact that the Latino vote now plays a crucial deciding role in even the U.S. presidential elections .
Despite improvements in the financial, social, and educational standards of the Hispanic American community, the discrimination that they face as an ethnic minority should not be underestimated. Stereotypes that they are generally illiterate, dishonest and prone to committing crimes have greatly hampered their development and progress as a group, quite similar to what the African Americans faced. However, unlike the blacks, since Hispanics were not forced or expected to abandon their language and cultural values, they have retained and still practice many ancestral rituals and rites . The fact that every subsequent Hispanic generation is accomplishing more milestones in every sphere, combined with the fact that they enjoy greater access to education and a more integrated societal environment, the American Hispanic community will soon become an integral part of the cultural and economic fabric that makes up the diverse United States of America.
Works Cited
Marger, Martin N. Race And Ethnic Relations. New York: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.
