Traditionally, migration was considered a men’s only affair. They –the young, the brave, the many–, were the ones who dare to take all the risks in order to come to America looking for an opportunity to achieve a better life for themselves and their families back at home. Not anymore.
Until the early 90s the gender ratio among newcomers was 4 to 1 (four males for one female), but this trend changed with the strengthening of the crossing process in the Southwest border. It became was harder and more dangerous to cross the border, and naturally the men stoped returning to Mexico. Hence, their women came. And of course, the kids came too, and some more were born here. And a whole new story began.
Nowadays, almost half of Latino population are women. They are, of course, the best half. And we are not just being polite, it is a fact. They do better at school, they integrate better, and they work harder.
It is clear that for the U.S. as a whole this is a historic moment when the gender equality challenge must be addressed. Besides politics –and it matters that for first time the front-runner candidate in the presidential race is a woman, the nation has to move the social agenda forward. And in many ways this is related with the gender equality path.
Of course, among the Latino community it is not different. Maybe a little harder because of the macho culture and some prejudices inside our culture. But if only because Latinas have already demonstrated their real value when they decided to come here to build and save their families, we know that they will achieve most of their goals.
Beside the commercial side of the celebration –the perfect excuse to sell toasters and house appliances, Mother’s Day is a big day for Latinos and Latinas. Not only is the day that the day of higher remittances sends across the border and the day with more international phone calls in the year, but also is a clear sign of how families are important for this community.
With higher levels of education than previous immigrant women who came long ago, mostly from rural areas, new Latinas came here with a life vision, and a defined plan of how to achieve it. You can say, without equivocation, that Latina mothers are the most tenacious promoting the integration of immigrants.
Of course education still is a major challenge among Latinas. The number of female students who enrolled and complete a career in universities and other higher education institutions is higher than ever, although Latinas continue to represent the sector with less formal education among all population groups. This forces young Latinas to face extreme difficulties to increase their salary and advance professionally.
In a recent study published by the Center for American Progress, is stated that in the next two decades economic growth and demographic decline will generate millions of new positions in the labour market.
Young Latinas are very aware of this window of opportunity for themselves and their kids. They know that college education is a mandatory in order to be ready for whatever comes next. Therefore, todays struggle with Latinos and the higher education system (tuitions, performance, etc.) will define the country’s future. In this context, we better pay closer attention to our mom’s advice: “Never stop learning and stay out of trouble”.
