|
|
 |
|
This monthly digest is written primarily for the staff of UC Cooperative
Extension. It is produced by the staff of ANR's News and Information Outreach in Spanish (NOS) based on news reported by mainstream news media and reputable
research institutions. Inclusion in the digest does not imply endorsement,
nor does SBMS assume responsibility for the veracity of the information.
We invite our readers to refer to the source to read more of each particular
brief; we'll try to always include a link.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Culture
Some Facts & Figures for Hispanic Heritage Month
Dicho del mes
Dicho del mes
Health
Experts say depression on the rise among US Hispanic women
Hispanics as Consumers
Hispanics with clogged arteries at greatest risk of stroke, heart attack
Hispanic population growth and importance for economy
Some Facts & Figures for Hispanic Heritage Month
-
98 percent of Hispanics agree they feel proud of their Hispanic cultural background. -
76 percent of Hispanics feel the need to preserve their family's cultural traditions. -
68 percent of Hispanics attend festivals and events that celebrate their culture and heritage. -
75 percent of Hispanics state that their roots are more important today than they were 5 years ago. Source: 2007/2008 Yankelovich MONITOR Multicultural Marketing Study Latinos in the labor force -
Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the labor force. Today, nearly 21.6 million Latinos are at work in the United States, representing 14.1percent of the labor force. -
The current economic downturn is especially damaging to Hispanic employment. As of July 2008, 1.64 million Latinos who wanted to work could not find a job, leading to a 7.4percent unemployment rate among the Latino subgroup. -
Declining job quality leaves many Latinos without health or retirement coverage. Despite their tenacious participation in the labor force, Latinos remain the least insured workers in the country. -
Latinos face major disparities in workplace safety. Violations of basic labor laws have escalated in recent years, particularly within industries where Latinos are concentrated. In 2006, 990 Latinos were killed on the job, a 7percent increase over the previous year. Source: National Council of La Raza Latino voters in California -
More than one in three Californians is Latino—a total of about 14 million residents. By 2020, Latinos are expected to outnumber non-Hispanic whites in the state; and by about 2042, Latinos are projected to become the racial/ethnic majority in the state. -
Most Latino voters live in Southern California. Forty percent of the state’s Latino likely voters live in Los Angeles County, while another 26 percent live in Orange/San Diego Counties and the Inland Empire. Most white likely voters (24 percent) live in the San Francisco Bay Area. -
Characteristics of Latino likely voters differ from other voter groups. Latino likely voters are more often younger, less educated, lower-income earners: 38 percent have never attended college, compared to 20 percent of blacks and 13 percent of whites and Asians. And 38 percent have household earnings under $40,000 a year, while 48 percent of white likely voters earn over $80,000 a year. Latinos are the only racial/ethnic group in which a majority of likely voters (52 percent) are younger than 45 years old; only 31 percent of white likely voters are in this age group. Among Latino likely voters, 68 percent own their homes, compared to 80 percent of white, 76 percent of Asian, and 62 percent of black likely voters. However, while 39 percent of Latino likely voters are immigrants, an even higher percentage of Asian likely voters are immigrants (61 percent). -
Latinos are the least likely to register as independents; most identify as democrats More than six in 10 Latino likely voters are Democrats (64 percent), while 18 percent are registered as Republicans and 18 percent as independents or with a third party. Source: Public Policy Institute of California Hispanic women in the US -
Approximately half of all Hispanic women were born in the U.S. or born abroad to a parent who is a U.S. citizen; the other half were born in countries other than the U.S. -
Among immigrant Hispanic women, 57 percent have arrived since 1990. Six-in-ten Hispanic women immigrants were born in Mexico. -
Hispanic women are much younger than non-Hispanic women; their median age is 41, compared with a median age of 47 for non-Hispanic women. Native-born Hispanic women are even younger. Their median age is 39, compared with 42 for immigrant Hispanic women. -
The majority (55 percent) of all Hispanic women report that they speak only English in their home or that they speak English very well. Most of these English speakers are native born. Seven-in-ten immigrant Hispanic women report that they do not speak English in their home or that they do not speak English very well. -
Hispanic women have a higher fertility rate than non-Hispanic women: 84 births per 1,000 women, compared with 63 births per 1,000 Non-Hispanic women. -
Hispanic women are less educated than non-Hispanic women. Some 36 percent have less than a high school education, compared with 10 percent of non-Hispanic women. Nearly half of all Hispanic women immigrants have less than a high school education; a similar share (46 percent) of native-born Hispanic women have at least some college education. -
Hispanic women who work full time earn less than non-Hispanic women who work full time: a median of $460 per week, compared with $615 per week for non-Hispanic women. Native-born Hispanic women earn a median of $540 per week, while immigrant women earn $400. -
The most common occupations of Hispanic women are office and administrative support positions. Source: Pew Hispanic Center
Dicho del mes
Al buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan. (To those apt to understand, few words suffice).
Experts say depression on the rise among US Hispanic women
As they battle economic woes and try to bridge the cultural gap, depression and other mental troubles are on the rise among Latin American women immigrants to the United States. Experts say because Latinos are usually poorer, they have higher rates of depression. A report by the Centers for Disease Control says Hispanic female teens in the United States were the group most likely to seriously contemplate suicide, with nearly a quarter of Latina teens having considered suicide compared with around 17 percent of teens overall. The stress of adapting to U.S. society -- acculturation -- was also fueling depression and behavioral disorders. Immigrants from Latin America try to maintain traditional family ties that dominate their culture while developing the self-focused drive for success so prized in U.S. society. Meanwhile, young Hispanic women who successfully navigate the cultural straits separating Latinos and the European-origin majority in the United States are more likely to develop eating disorders, yet few of them seek help for these conditions, said the experts. Source: Zeitvogel, Karin. “Depression on the rise among US Hispanic women: experts.” AFP, May 7, 2008, http://news.yahoo.com
Hispanics with clogged arteries at greatest risk of stroke, heart attack
Hispanics who have even a small amount of plaque build-up in the neck artery that supplies blood to the brain are up to four times more likely to suffer or die from a stroke or heart attack than Hispanics who do not have plaque. The researchers involved in the recent study, published in the online issue of Neurology, used ultrasound to determine the thickness of the plaque in the carotid artery of 2,189 men and women who were part of the multi-ethnic Northern Manhattan Study. Carotid plaque was found in 58 percent of the group. The maximum carotid plaque thickness was defined as those who had more than 1.9 mm of plaque thickness, which represented one quarter of the group. After an average follow-up of seven years, 121 people suffered or died from ischemic stroke, 118 suffered or died from heart attack and 166 died of other vascular causes. Source: American Academy of Neurology. “Hispanics with clogged arteries at greatest risk of stroke, heart attack,” March 19, 2008, http://www.aan.com/press/
Hispanic population growth and importance for economy
The third annual Latino Intelligence Report, which focuses on the Hispanic youth market and provides a forecasting tool for marketers looking to understand the young Latino consumer, has found that the U.S. Latino population will both triple in size and account for most of the nation's population growth from 2005 through 2050. Young Latinos have already taken notice of their role in shaping American mainstream culture, it seems. “Unlike their ancestors, young Latinos embrace technology, are predominantly bi-lingual, and are the leaders of both their families and their larger communities,” explains Jane Buckingham, president of The Intelligence Group, publisher of the study. “It is more important than ever for marketers to find ways to communicate with this growing demographic.”
Source: The Intelligence Report, “The Intelligence Group releases 2008 lifestyle study,” April 28, 2008,
|
|
