Latina Stereotypes: that's not me

Don't you just love demographic studies? They often give people justification to see the bad side of others (or other groups)

First of all, these days, the studies done by places like Pew Research center get their information by telephone. I met Roberto Suro when he was still director of the Hispanic division of Pew. I asked him about the problem with making phone calls to get demographic information. He said it was true that there was a risk in accuracy but there were some formulas to compensate for bad data.

Well, back to the stereotype issue.

This study just released is telling us a few things:

1. More than half of all Latinas report that they speak only English at home or that they speak English very well.
Thank you for noticing that I have a good vocabulary. Surprise that most of us speak English, especially those who are U.S. citizens? We are in America after all.

2. Latino women are more likely to live in poverty
I have never lived in poverty, neither has my mother, or her mother, or her mother. For most of my family history we were not rich, but always had enough to eat - thanks to the men either having a ranch or working on one. Plus the women would sew or iron clothes to make money. Depends what your definition of poverty is....

My next door neighbor who immigration from El Salvador is not in poverty either. She isn't even working full time these days. Well you may think there is something fishy. Actually no. She has always saved a good percentage of her income. She bought a house 6 years ago. Her husband and oldest son live with her... they pay the bills these days. Now she doesn't speak much English, but she is regularized (meaning she has a green card).

She doesn't make a lot of money, probably earns around what Pew says women make. But she is extremely resourceful. She doesn't drive a Lexus, but is doing just fine thank you.

3. Latinas are generally less educated
Now, if you don't count recent immigrants, this may be an issue. Latinas may be less educated but take a look at urban schools these days. No Child Left Behind made schools like something from Bentham's Panopticon - with everyone watching and measuring. In other words I am saying that educational statistics may not be so great, but five words describing the situation does not do justice to the injustice in American education (for working class and poor people).

This is just an anecdote - but there have been plenty of Latinas in my undergraduate and graduate classes. Maybe Pew missed some of them.

4. Latinas who work full time earn less than non-Latinas . I am not sure if I made up this saying, but "no cuenta lo que te pagan, cuenta como rindes el dinero." What you get paid doesn't count, it's how you manage and save your money. Maybe Latinas don't make as much, but I bet many don't have huge car payments and giant credit card balances (of course that excludes those who live in the suburbs - being in heavy debt is a very contagious disease in the U.S.)

5. Native-born Latinas are more likely to have children out of wedlock than immigrant Latinas. Maybe the immigrant women are better at strong arming the father of the child. But really, think about American mores about sex - American born Latinas follow the same social rules that most other American women do. But (and this is always my favorite comment) - they still haven't gotten to the point where they feel comfortable with abortion... hence they have sex (thanks to the U.S. sexual revolution) but they haven't gotten so far that they can separate the idea of a tiny fetus from that of a live human being. Plus their grandmothers would kill them. (disclosure - I am neither pro-life nor pro-choice)-

6. Latinas have a higher fertility rate.
Well maybe in towns where there is no Planned Parenthood, or among women who are recent immigrants. Unfortunately this is a story I hear all the time, people tell me, and with some anger that Mexicans have too many babies. I can see how some would think that - in my neighborhood their are always young women walking around with several babies in their strollers.

For a positive spin on this - if the fertility rate is higher then that must mean a lower incidence of sexually transmitted diseases. If Pew could find a way to ask 2nd and 3rd generation Latinas, they would find that most everybody has only 2 - sometimes 3 (max). I only know of one 3rd generation Latina who has more than 3 kids, and very few who have 3. (disclosure -I have 2 kids - here is the breakdown in my generation from both sides of the family which by the way could be considered Latino/Hispanic)

11 female first cousins -counting myself- born in the U.S. between 1945 - 1968 had the following number of children (the one with five is the oldest cousin)

mothers children
2 -- 0
2 -- 1
3 -- 2
3 -- 3
1 -- 5


Be careful with statistics.

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La Plaza Blog
Los Angeles Times
May 9, 2008

New study contrasts immigrant and native-born U.S. Latinas

Fascinating statistics released today on the demographic makeup of the female Latino community in the United States show some striking, if unsurprising, differences between non-Latino and Latino women, and between native-born and immigrant Latinas.

Nearly half of the 14.4 million Latinas in the United States today were born in this country, or abroad to a U.S parent, according to a report released yesterday by the Pew Hispanic Center. The other 52% of Latinas were born in other countries and came to live in the U.S.

More than half of all Latinas report that they speak only English at home or that they speak English very well. Among immigrant Latinas (about half of all Latino women in the U.S), seven in 10 (73%) say that they do not speak English in their homes or that they do not speak English very well.

There are important differences between Latino and non-Latino women in the U.S. For example, Latino women are more likely to live in poverty and are less educated than non-Latino women.

Although both groups are equally likely to be married, Latinas are generally less educated and have a higher fertility rate that non-Latinas. Immigrant Latinas have a higher fertility rate that native-born Latinas. Native-born Latinas are more likely to have children out of wedlock than immigrant Latinas.

Latinas who work full time earn less than non-Latinas who work full time: a median of $460 per week, compared with $615 per week. Native-born Latinas earn a median of $540 per week, while immigrant women earn $400.

PEW Report on Global Trade and Immigration

The PEW center has released a report on global trade and immigration. Below are excerpts of their statement on immigration. According to PEW, people around the world are concerned about immigration - and "losing their traditional culture."

What is the danger of having foreign influences? Is it only certain foreign influences? If they are American or Western European is it ok if they infiltrate the culture?

It would be interesting to see what exactly is the meaning of "need for protecting traditional ways of life."

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... there are widely shared concerns about the free flow of people, ideas and resources that globalization entails. In nearly every country surveyed, people worry about losing their traditional culture and national identities, and they feel their way of life needs protection against foreign influences. Importantly, the poll finds widespread concerns about immigration. Moreover, there is a strong link between immigration fears and concerns about threats to a country's culture and traditions. Those who worry the most about immigration also tend to see the greatest need for protecting traditional ways of life against foreign influences.

Immigration Fears

In both affluent countries in the West and in the developing world, people are concerned about immigration. Large majorities in nearly every country surveyed express the view that there should be greater restriction of immigration and tighter control of their country's borders.

Although Western publics remain concerned about immigration, they generally are less likely to back tighter controls today than they were five years ago, despite heated controversies over this issue in both Europe and the United States over the last few years. In Italy, however, support for greater restrictions has increased -- 87% now support more controls on immigration, up seven points from 2002.

Concerns about immigration have increased in other countries as well, perhaps most notably in Jordan, where an influx of Iraqi refugees has raised the salience of this issue -- 70% of Jordanians back tighter immigration controls, up from 48% five years ago....

Immigration

North Americans generally are more welcoming to immigrants than are Western Europeans. Among Western European publics, Swedes are the most likely to say immigration from North Africa and the Middle East, as well as from Eastern Europe, is a good thing for their country, while Italians and Germans express the most negative views.
Sizable minorities in 11 of the 36 developing countries surveyed say they regularly receive money from relatives living in another country. In Lebanon and Bangladesh, nearly half of respondents say they receive help from family members living abroad...

PEW report: http://pewglobal.org/reports/pdf/258.pdf