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The New Majority: How Will Latino Youth Succeed in the Context of Low Educational Expectations and Assumptions of Sexual Irresponsibility?

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Abstract

Latino youth are the fastest-growing ethnic group in the USA and will soon comprise a significant portion of our future leadership and workforce. Prejudicial stereotypes about Latino youth—such as the assumption that teen pregnancy will inevitably lead to lower educational attainment—ignore significant advancements in educational and sexual health outcomes and contribute to inequities in health and education policies. A total of 332 Latino-identified youth living in California gave voice to their educational aspirations, challenges, and sexual and reproductive health needs through an exploratory mixed-methods research study. Youth participated in interviews and focus groups (n = 105) and in a statewide survey (n = 227) to explore assets that help youth overcome discriminatory low expectations and improve sexual decision making and educational aspirations. Results indicated most Latino youth desire to attend college. Likelihood of attending college was associated with individual and environmental assets. Lower likelihood of attending college was associated with perceived discrimination from teachers. Sexually active youth reported high levels of contraceptive use. Many youth want to defy the negative stereotypes and are seeking successful futures despite the structural challenges and social bias. There is an urgent need to reframe the negative public discourse about Latino youth, to acknowledge their resilience and to address underlying structural factors creating inequities. Specific policy recommendations are provided to promote positive sexual health and educational outcomes among Latino youth.

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Notes

  1. We use Latino throughout this article to refer to people currently living in the USA who are either US- or foreign-born and whose ancestral origin includes Mexico, Central America, South America, and/or the Hispanophone Caribbean regardless of race or gender. Most individuals from these areas would prefer to use a country-specific identification, rather than the commonly used terms Latino or Hispanic. We chose Latino over Hispanic to represent the regional preference for this term and to acknowledge that the term Hispanic is not culturally derived. It is a U.S. Census Bureau coined term from the 1970s and critics associate the term to the Spanish conquest of native people in multiple countries (Retta and Brink 2007).

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Acknowledgements

This research was conducted with support from the Ford Foundation’s Youth Sexuality, Health and Rights Initiative, and we owe a special thanks to Rocio Córdoba and Margaret Hempel for their guidance through the project development. We want to thank our Youth Advisory Group for their valuable input throughout the course of the project; Abel Murillo, Miguel Torres, and Vanessa Torres for their contributions to data collection; Y. Jason Chang for statistical support; Barbara E. Ustanko, and Mark Padilla for editorial assistance; and to all of our community providers who assisted in recruiting Latino youth. We especially thank the Latino youth who participated in our study for providing their strong voices in helping us better understand their challenges and successes as they navigate their personal journeys and underscore the policy considerations for the future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Equity Institute, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. HSS 359, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA

    Cynthia A. Gómez, Elodia Villaseñor, Emily S. Mann, Vanessa Mercado, Miguel Alcalá & Vanessa Cardona

  2. Marian Wright Edelman Institute, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Carmen G. Mandic

  3. California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Ena Suseth Valladares

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  1. Cynthia A. Gómez
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  2. Elodia Villaseñor
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Correspondence to Cynthia A. Gómez.

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Gómez, C.A., Villaseñor, E., Mann, E.S. et al. The New Majority: How Will Latino Youth Succeed in the Context of Low Educational Expectations and Assumptions of Sexual Irresponsibility?. Sex Res Soc Policy 11, 348–362 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-014-0165-6

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