Role of the Diaspora
Multiple origins, uncertain destinies: Hispanics and the American future
How long-term trends in population ageing, social disparities, and social mobility will shape the Hispanic experience in America
Authors:
M. Tienda; F. Mitchell
Publisher:
Committee on Population, National Academy of Sciences, 2006
Hispanics are one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. population and are currently the nation's largest ethnic minority, and they will remain so for the foreseeable future. The Hispanic second generation, the children of Spanish-speaking immigrants, who are coming of age as the white majority population is ageing will play a pivitol role in offsetting the burden of dependency of an ageing population.
Coined as an ethnic category by Government regulation, Hispanics are made up of members of 20 Spanish speaking nationalities originating from Latin America and the Caribbean.
This book looks at the historic and contemporary demographic profile of Hispanic immigrants, their self identity, language and assimilation. It discusses social, economic and political integration in the context of rising inequality by assessing family and living arrangements, education, economic status and health.
The authors state that the Hispanic population is characterised by a youthful age structure; a large number of foreign born, including many "undocumented"; low levels of education; and disproportionate concentration in low-skill, low-wage jobs.
The authors emphasise that whilst education levels remain significantly poorer amongst Hispanics youth than their white counterparts, failure to close Hispanics' education and language gaps risks compromising their ability to both contribute to and share in national prosperity. How the potential demographic dividend of the Hispanic role in the labour market manifests itself over the decades ahead will define not only the kind of future Hispanics will inherit, but also the economic and social contours of the United States in the 21st century.
