Many Hispanic Outlook readers will remember when “The Decade of the Hispanic” was declared in the 1980s. Maria Elena Torano succinctly noted, “The blacks had the decade of the ‘60s; women had the ‘70s. The ‘80s will be the decade for Hispanics.” The prediction was overly optimistic and never fully blossomed into fruition. The Hispanic decade will undoubtedly come, and sooner rather than later. Will it be led by Latinas?

Latinas: The Unstoppable Ones

One in five women in America is a Latina. By 2060 it is projected they will comprise nearly a third of the nation’s female population. One in four female students in public schools across the nation is a Latina. They have outperformed their male counterparts in every rung of education. They are disciplined students who have successfully overcome obstacles to reach their goals. The future of Hispanic influence in America is very much tied to these women.

Nevertheless, Hispanic adults have the lowest college attainment level of the country’s racial groups. Fewer than twenty-five percent of Hispanic adults have a college degree. So, this is not the moment to be complacent.

Enter COVID

Before COVID-19, college enrollment among Hispanic students was impressive. In 2021 The Education Trust specifically lauded the college degree achievements of Hispanic women. Latinas outpaced Latinos, earning more college degrees.

The National Student Clearinghouse reports that Hispanic enrollment in higher education fell by 5.4 percentage points due to the pandemic. When we study the differences by sector, those declines become even more dramatic.

While enrollment at public four-year colleges fell nearly two percentage points, enrollment at community colleges fell 10.6 percentage points overall and nearly 17 percentage points among Latinos, versus a decline of 6.2 percentage points for Latinas. These declines are particularly troubling since over 52 percent of Hispanic higher-education students attend community colleges.

The decline in first-time enrollment among Hispanic students sank nearly 20 percentage points across all sectors. Concerted steps need to be taken to counter these declines or Hispanics will be left behind.

As Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has noted, “until we get equality in education, we will not have an equal society.”

STEM Report

The government’s latest and most complete analysis of diversity trends in STEM employment and education, Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities 2023, has just been released.

The report has encouraging news. For instance, more Hispanic women worked in STEM jobs over the past decade, diversifying that workforce, and earning more degrees in science and engineering compared to previous years. Although they still remain underrepresented in STEM and education positions when compared to the U.S. population, Latina progress is encouraging.

Changing Employment Opportunities

According to Grab USA, the employment rate for women in the United States peaked in 2000,  reaching 57.5 percent. Currently, it’s the lowest in decades, coming in at 51.5 percent. This decline has largely been due to the pandemic effect on the country’s employment.

Even in non-pandemic times, women face unique struggles when finding and maintaining work. Financial equality and the gender pay gap means women, on average, earn 84 percent of what men earn for the same work. It is even worse for Latinas, who receive a mere 55 percent of a man’s salary as per the study Latina Initiative: Status of Latinas in the United States, commissioned by the American Association of University Women (this fact-filled report is available online).

The good news, though, is that many U.S. companies are working to close this equity gap between men and women. Thus, there are more high-paying jobs for women, many of which offer growth opportunities and high levels of job satisfaction.

We are inundated with information about STEM and Health career opportunities for Hispanic women. But many other pathways exist in a wide variety of professions.

There is still a growing need for Hispanic teachers, counselors and administrators in K through post-doctoral positions. There are several reasons: thousands of vacancies presently exist, Hispanic student numbers continue to grow and there will be a large wave of retirements in the years ahead. Thus, opportunities for professional employment will be available at all levels of education.

As noted before, money should not be one’s major incentive. But it is encouraging to see that very well-paying positions exist for women.

Bottom line

Hispanics are the nation’s largest and fastest-growing demographic.  Given the encouragement of many, more Hispanics are going to college than ever before. Since 2000, the enrollment rate among Hispanics has grown by double digits, the highest of any other racial group.

Women have more opportunities than ever before. Financial aid exists. Public and private sector employment opportunities continue to grow.

Women are in demand, particularly bilingual ones.

Latinas have already shown themselves to be serious, goal-oriented students; they are now entering professions not heretofore available.

Education is hard work. The years of preparation can be long and intense. Latinas know that all too well, but they have persevered and there is every indication that this trend will continue.

They, I suggest, will undergird The Age of Hispanics when it arrives.