Latinas Face Obstacles in Education, Study Says

Latinas are less likely to graduate from high school or college than females in any other ethnic group in the United States, according to a study to be released today.

The findings by the American Assn. of University Women Educational Foundation indicate that there are deficiencies in financial, social and cultural resources in education for Latinas, who are the fastest growing ethnic minority among American women, researchers said.

“Latinas have additional pressures and stresses on them that no other population has,” said Jacqueline Woods, executive director of the association. “We need to be aware of [these pressures].”

The report, written by Angela Ginorio and Michelle Huston of the Northwest Center for Research on Women in Seattle, also found that Latinas are less likely to take the SAT exam in high school and on average score lower than white or Asian American females. Although they take the test more than Latino boys, they also score lower.

And Latinas are underrepresented in classes for gifted students, the report found.

Among Latinas in the Southwestern states and California, the report notes, just 5% of those 25 or older had completed four or more years of college, compared to 21% of Anglo women, 31% of Asian women and 14% of African American women.

Latinas face the same barriers to education as Latino males and other minority groups. But they face additional challenges too.

Ginorio said that in Latino culture, family is often perceived to be the female’s primary responsibility. This may be why parents are reluctant to send daughters away to college or to encourage educational opportunities.

“There is an expectation that girls should go to college, but the college has to be within commuting distance,” Ginorio said. “It seems that this is a particular burden for Latina girls. They work; they do child care; they are expected to cook. And children from bilingual families also do a lot of translation for their families.”

Research also suggests that Latinas fear if they are more educated than their potential partners, it will diminish their chances of marrying a Latino man, Ginorio said.

Some educators, however, downplay the cultural barriers, saying socioeconomic factors present a greater challenge.

“Many of our students come from families who are making $10,000 or $12,000 a year,” said Irma Archuleta, director of a Santa Ana College program that recruits and assists high school students seeking higher education. “It has more to do with economic resources, because our students sometimes feel guilty about going to school when they could be assisting their families. And most of our students already work 30 to 40 hours a week above their studies.”

Patriarchal Expectations

The program offers academic counseling and financial assistance to about 1,100 students, most of them from the Santa Ana Unified School District, which is 92% Latino. Archuleta said that some female students struggle with patriarchal expectations but that those are quickly overcome once parents learn of the opportunities a higher education offers.

“It is a generational issue,” Archuleta said. With first-generation immigrants, traditional gender roles “are a challenge, but that quickly changes once the girls get to the university,” she said. “There is a complete metamorphosis.”

But getting there in the first place may be a challenge for some. Judy Campbell, a college counselor at Hollywood High School--where 65% of the students are Latino--said her experiences corroborate the report’s findings.

When Latinas are admitted into prestigious colleges across the country, their parents often will not let them go, she said.

“They want them to stay home and do the traditional thing: get married and have kids,” she said.

Immigrant parents of Latino students may not be able to help their children with homework or with filling out college applications, she said.

“If that child comes from a household where no parent has graduated from high school, then that child doesn’t have many resources to turn to,” she said. “If the school doesn’t provide it, then that child has less chances to find it.”

Also, financial aid applications and scholarships usually require the student to be a U.S. citizen, and some Latino students are undocumented, so the restrictions limit their chances, she said.

Ginorio said she hopes the study will be used to give educators more insight into the needs of Latinas. She hopes schools will develop bilingual programs to encourage education that is geared both to students and their parents.

“I think that all schools and universities need to look at who are they serving and how are they serving them,” she said. “I really wish that this will start a national conversation about issues for Latinas that will include parents and students, as well as policymakers and educators.”

Times staff writer Daniel Yi contributed to this report.