Hispanic American Diversity - Research Paper Example

Among them, the majority are the Hispanics, and because of the increase in their population, they are on the verge of becoming the largest minority group in America, surpassing even the African American population. “For a country long used to seeing itself as black and white, it will be something of a shock when Hispanics become the nations largest minority group in five years and fully one-quarter of the population by mid-century.” (Robinson). Although Hispanics have a common culture and a common language of Spanish language, they are subdivided into four groups based on their native place’s culture.

The four Hispanic groups are Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and Colombian Americans. Among the total population of Hispanics in America, Mexican Americans constitutes the largest group in terms of numbers. Linguistically they speak the common language of Spanish. Having large numbers in various constituencies in many states, the Mexican American group can influence vote swings during elections and also the political policies. Their social life mainly revolves around their immediate as well as extended family.

Within the family, the male head will take care of the household expenses, while the female is responsible for all the household duties. They mainly follow the social customs of their native place, during most social occasions and also during religious festivals. All the Mexican Americans are Christian by religion; they are divided into Roman Catholics and Protestants. However, when their economic condition is viewed, it does not show a positive reading. As stated by Gaudette (2006), “The average household income of Mexican-Americans is 40 percent below that of non-Hispanic whites, due largely to lower education levels than nearly all other racial and ethnic groups, a new report shows”.

Quite contrastingly to other Hispanic groups, Puerto