Submitted by: Submitted by tarabina
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Pages: 6
Category: Other Topics
Date Submitted: 08/06/2011 04:43 AM
Hispanic American Diversity
Hispanic American Diversity
It is my belief that there is not a major difference amongst the Hispanic population in our country, they share the same dreams, and have many accomplishments. They all want the same things, and they all came to this country for the same reason; to give there families a better life. The culture of the different types of Hispanics is very similar, but there differences make them unique. This paper will explore four separate Hispanic groups, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and those from Central America.
I will begin by discussing the Mexican-Americans in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2000), Mexican-Americans make up 58.5% of the Hispanic population in the United States. Many Mexican-Americans have developed communities in the states of New York, Arizona, Texas, and California. This Hispanic group has the lowest earnings amongst full-time, year round workers. Unfortunately, many Mexican-Americans live below the poverty level.
There is much literature available on the traditional structure of Mexican-American families. A large majority of the information obtained is structured in two ways; rigid, cold, and unstable; or warm, nurturing, and solid. There are three main characteristics of the Mexican American family. There is the usual male dominance which includes rigid sex and the age grading method; “the older order the younger, and the men the women”, and finally strong family orientation. To better understand this structure, I will provide a general idea of the structure of Mexican-American families, and how it affects its members.
The first of the three main characteristics mentioned is male dominance; this is one of the popular stereotypes surrounding the Mexican-American family. This has become a popular practice in America and is known as machismo. Machismo is frequently equated with male dominance. Male dominance is the expectation that the father is the head of the...