Hispanic Population of the United States - Research Paper Example

The ethnic diversity of the Hispanics in the United States Introduction It is a common sight to see Spanish speaking population when one is in America. This is due to the rising population of Hispanics who is the fastest-growing minority in the United States. The US Bureau of Census has estimated that as of 2009, Hispanics constitute about 16 percent of the nation’s total population. This represents a 3.1% increase of Hispanic population between July 1, 2008 and July 1, 2009. It has been estimated that their number will grow by 132.8 million by the year 2050. In this projection, the Hispanics is expected to constitute 30% of the US. Population. . Fig. 1 shows that 66 percent of Hispanics are of Mexican origin, followed by 15 percent of the combined population of Central and South America. Puerto Rico accounts for 9%, 7% coming from other Hispanic groups and last if Cuba that holds 4%. (US Bureau of Census) Statement of the problem Lack of proper understanding of ethnic diversities will lead to inconsiderate judgment, treatment and conflict. In this context, purpose of the study is to present an insight on cultural diversities of each group and account for the differences that makes up the misunderstanding among individuals. Methodology The research used the exploratory approach to find the conditionality among Hispanics. It is guided by secondary data available in published literatures and websites to form conclusive evidence. Some of diversity issues tackled in this study is their different ethnic backgrounds, values and traditions of their culture. Findings and discussion. 1. Mexican-Americans Taken from the study of Bravo (2005), the culture of Mexicans-Americans is described herein. Mexican culture has been influenced by the United States because of its proximity to each other such that there is a constant exchange of ideas and traditions. Mexican-Americans places great value to their culture, language, people and homeland. Language. Spanish is the language typically spoken by Mexican-Americans, but English is more frequently used by the younger generation, and at times, it is a mix of English and Spanish. Family. The Mexican-Americans have strong bonds to his family including extended families that includes grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Food. Mexican-Americans are fond of authentic, special and exotic food that other races find it odd and disgusting. For example, they have food made from internal organs of cows and exotic food like grasshopper. Social Roles. Mexican- Americans observe patriarchal system of a family that is male dominated. However, the roles are now changing because of its assimilation to the American culture. Women are now taking roles in employment and in the family. Cultural ties are embodied among the Mexican-Americans and because of this; they easily celebrate Mexican celebrations in the United States such as Mexican Independence Day. Religion. Mexican-Americans have mixed religion, but majority are Catholics. Religious holidays are important to them and are celebrated with festivities. 2. Puerto Rico. Data used in this report are taken from the article Puerto Rico’s Beyond Language (2011). Migrations of Puerto Ricans to the United States started in 1917 as they were granted citizenship when the island was ceded to the United States. Economics. The exodus to United States was propelled by the change of the economic structure of Puerto Rico from one of agriculture to manufacturing for exports. This change led to the decline of available jobs for the people. Added to this, is the rapid growth of population. These economic factors encouraged Puerto Ricans to immigrate to the United States to work. The proximity of Puerto Rico to the United States afforded them to work in both places. Most of them are seasonal plantation workers wherein they work at sugarcane plantations in Puerto Rico during winter, and do the harvesting in mainland US during summer and fall. Language. The language used by Puerto Ricans is Spanish although English has also been adopted as the official language. Language becomes a problem as majority of Puerto Ricans find English communication difficult. Religion. Majority of Puerto Ricans are Catholics, and minority practice other faiths. Family Puerto Ricans are known for being friendly and warmth. In their daily conversations, one could easily notice their use of hand gestures and movements. In their conversation, they do not become upset when they are interrupted when they talk or even finishing other’s thoughts as this is customary to them. They consider space in social settings as they like to stand fairly close to one another in conversations, and moving away is considered to be insulting. In meetings, they like to start with a warm and friendly handshake as a form of greeting, or a nod of the head. They allow men who are close friends to embrace, and women to engage in a brief hug or a kiss on the cheek. 3. Dominicans Immigrations of Dominicans to the United States started in 1960 due to the political instability and civil war in their country. . Most Dominicans are familiar with American culture because of several years of US domination in their country and due to this did not have difficulty in assimilation when they immigrated to U.S. Language. Dominican migrants are Spanish speakers, but those foreign born can speak English very well. Migrants have poor English speaking capabilities. Family . A changing pattern of family structure has evolved after Dominicans’ immigration to the US. According to the report of Buffington (2011) about Dominican culture, it is traditionally patriarchal, but now, Dominican women in the states strive to take equal responsibility in the household and in employment. Dominican women in the US tend to have smaller number of children than their counterpart in their homeland. Dominicans hold family values and if possible live near each other or with their extended families. To them, loyalty to the family comes first before other social relations or even in business. So in this culture, nepotism is accepted because this means employing someone they can trust. Religion. Dominicans are predominantly Catholics although there are minorities who practice mixed religion. They celebrate Catholic festivities and holidays and participate in Afro-Catholic religious ceremonies Social. The Dominicans are fashion conscious and consider appearance very important. They believe clothes indicate social standing and success. Their clothes are made of good standards they can afford. Etiquette. In meeting with Dominicans, handshake is needed as form of greeting; bringing along simple gifts is accepted; gift colors of black and purple should be avoided as these are mourning colors for them. Proper dressing for the occasion and punctuality matters to them. Visitors are expected to pay respect to elders in the house as part of tradition. 4. Colombian-Americans Taken from the study of Sturner (2011) the following details accounts for the ethnic diversity of Columbian-Americans The first Colombian immigrants to the United States settled mostly in New York during the 19th century. These immigrants were professionals and held jobs like nurses, accountants, laboratory technicians, pharmacists and bilingual secretaries. Colombians migrated to US because of the civil war and the economic recession in their country that limited their income opportunities. However, Colombians suffered discrimination as language became its difficult barrier for employment. As the US become technically advanced, Colombians found it hard to compete with other Hispanics and Asian races because of language difficulty and lack of access to learn it. Language. Colombians are proud of their elegant spoken Spanish language and they try to preserve this as much as possible by speaking Spanish in their households; Families. Colombians regard family values and want to conserve it. The husband is the head of the family and wage earner while the wife remains in domesticity. They prefer to live close to extended families and look at the family as a source of support and advice. However, in immigration, the conditions of American life have changed their tradition in that the wife enters the workplace and earns independence. These changes cause family relations to fall apart, and for some reasons result to divorce. Colombian divorces are more in numbers in US than in their homeland. Colombians value education for their children so that this becomes their motivation for immigration. Education in Colombia is reserved only for the wealthy families. Colombians still maintains a hierarchical society wherein people earn respect due to age and position. Conclusion There are many cultural values common to Hispanics. Their assimilation to the American society is partly hindered by the language barriers. Hispanics find it difficult to get employment because of lack of fluency in the English language. Others find discrimination in employment because of lack of proper skills and education. Even when they are in the United States, Hispanics keep their cultural values and ties in their homeland and strong family attachments. Some consider US only as temporary shelter and hopes to go back to their homelands when they retire. Once settled in the US, the Hispanics acquire the US culture that eventually leads to the change of family values and structure. Their etiquettes in business are universal in approach as everybody else favors handshake and appropriate dressing for occasions. References Bravo, Aurora, 2005. Mexican-Americans, A culture of struggle, dignity and survival, CSP Vol. 3, Number 2, 2005 Retrieved 30 July 2011 from http://culturesocietypraxis.org/index.php/csp/article/viewFile/59/56 Buffington Sean T. Overview: Dominican Americans. Countries and their Culture. Retrieved 30 July 2011 from http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Bu-Dr/Dominican-Americans.html Fearon, James D. 03 January 2003). Ethnic Structure and Cultural Diversity around the world: A cross-national data set on ethnic groups. Department of Political Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. “Puerto Rico’s culture: Beyond Language”. (2011). Welcome to Puerto Rico. Retrieved 30 July 2011 from http://www.topuertorico.org/culture/language.shtml US Census Bureau (2007). Hispanic Americans by the numbers. Infoplease. Retrieved 30 July 2011 from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/hhmcensus1.html US Census Bureau (2010). Hispanic population of the United States. Retrieved 30 July 2011 from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hispanic/hispdef.html Read More