With those statistics in mind, let us focus in on how many Hispanics are at or under the poverty line.
Using these numbers as the guideline of poverty, an approximation of Hispanics at or under the poverty line is around 9.1 million people (21%).3. In 1991, the poverty percentage among Hispanics was 28.7%, clearly in the 18 years since then there has been a fair decline in Latinos in poverty, but there is still work to be done.4. With the recent financial trouble in America, the numbers could very well have risen; just so happens at this time the data is not available.
So, what determines a family to be "poor"? Before we discuss the actual income numbers, are there underlying situations that make a family "poor"? Based on the National Longitudinal Surveys (1997) "factors associated with the socioeconomic resources of the family of origin and individual aptitude at the adolescent stage, as well as educational and migration decisions made in the course of the transition to adulthood, influence the risk of falling into poverty."5. Now what does that mean? Basically some families become impoverished because of their general background- before adulthood. If a young teenager is pulled from his/her home to immigrate to a new country, that transition period may determine whether or not the child is successful in life. If their parents do not push educational growth due to the fact that money is more important now than in the future- chances are that child will remain in the system of high turnover jobs*. But if the parents strive for the changes they were looking for in the new country, per say the American Dream in the U.S., that child may end up pursuing post-secondary education and a white collar career. It is not only the parents that determine future poverty in their child, but also the child themselves. If the child comes to this new country and feels unaccepted in "normal" society but feels like family in a gang or other groups in the criminal world- factors like this may lead to a "poor" future. If the child starts their own family at a young age, the continuation of education or growth in a job becomes difficult and some might settle for easier choice- quitting. The previous were just ideas on how to interpret the study's factors of poverty, merely the previous were opinions, I hope you the reader can come up with your ideas on why poverty might happen.
When it comes to the actual economic view points of poverty, once that child grows into young adulthood and then eventual adulthood, their past may follow them. These pasts can either hold them back in the career world or push them forward. Some ways that can keep an adult from getting a job in a life sustaining career are; criminal charges and jail time, drug use, number of young family members, ability to speak the common language, amount of education, lack of residency, or experience. With these things and (I'm sure of it) more working against job applicants, it's important that at a young age for the child and parents make decisions based on the future. Yes this is an opinion- yet again- but if people had this mind set, perhaps the work towards lowering the poverty level would improve. Statically 2 out of 5 Hispanics in America were foreign born, $34,000 is the average Hispanic household income- $21,000 average for Latinas, $25,000 for Latinos (National Average; women $27,000, men $37,000), 52% of Hispanics over the age have a high school diploma (National rate: 80%) and of that 52% only 10% have a bachelor's degree, 20% of the nations births are to Hispanic women- of that 20%, 36% of the births are out of wedlock.3.
Granted, I just threw out a lot of numbers and you have to take them in yourself and see how you perceive this data, how does this data affect the poverty rate among Hispanic people? I would encourage you to do your own research and create a better understanding and awareness for yourself. It is important for people to understand the importance of the data before ranting against it or working towards improvement. I hope what you have read has sparked a flame within you and Please leave Social Justice a comment, we want to know your thoughts.
Thank you.
*High turnover jobs- the rate at which an employer gains and loses employees.6. in this blog I'll be referring to high turnover jobs as those in the fast food industry, blue collar, unskilled and skilled. Although some jobs keep employees for years, its just referring to this a jobs that don't need much scholastic training.
Sources:1. http://www.hispanic7.com/44_3_million_hispanics_largest_usa_minority_group.htm
2. http://aspe.hhs.gov/POVERTY/09poverty.shtml
3. http://www.pobronson.com/factbook/pages/416.html
4. http://northshorejournal.org/poverty-in-america-2008-the-races
5. http://www.bls.gov/nls/#order
6.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnover_(employment)
With the current situation of the economy in the US it's sad to imagine how much the percentage of Latinos affected by poverty will rise. As it is, Latinos are affected enough because of the lack of resources. Very few latinos graduate from high school, much less continue on to go to college. With the current economic climate, it gets harder for these latinos students to continue on with higher education or even high school. Many will drop out in order to keep food on the table.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, there are many without jobs. Some have the ability to go out and find another job, but for the Latino who is in this country undocumented, the task is even more difficult. Finding a job is hard enough but finding a job where your legal status will be overlooked is much tougher. There are many who are returning to their country of origin to be with their families instead. What's the point of staying in the US if you don't have anything. No job and no family.
When you look at it from the government side, this is what the government wants: for those who are here illegally to leave the country voluntarily because it's less costly than to have them deported.
I personally know a family who is leaving voluntarily because their father has been laid off from a local factory. For me it's sad to see them go because I have known them for quite a while. What worries me the most is their children. They have lived in the US all their lives and have no idea what their lives are going to be like in Mexico. They are going to experience culture shock and displacement. I hope that they change their minds and decide to stay because if they feel they are going through a tough time here, they are going to go through an even harder time in Mexico.
It's easy to throw out statistics, but I think you really hit the mark on what needs to be done about the issue of poverty. The environment a child is brought up in inevitably affects how they will develop as a member of society. Parents have a lot of responsibility here and I can't stress enough how important it is to nurture the growth of children, latino or not. It's one of the most important jobs a person could have, and you don't even get paid for it. In my opinion, the best way to combat poverty is a collective move towards the direction of social responsibility. This doesn't only apply in the family setting, but in the community and worldly settings as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that much of the poverty in Hispanic families is a result of Hispanic oppression/social injustice -- discrimination, retaliation for reporting discrimination, etc.
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