Welcome to Hispanic-ish in Under 5 Minutes, where we don't have a jingle, and we get right to it. This is where we explore impactful stories about being American with strong Hispanic roots as a weekly recap of the most recent Hispanic-ish articles.
Today we're talking about the recent study released by the University of California, Los Angeles Latino Policy and Politics Institute.
[Read the debrief here]
In recent studies, Latinas have made remarkable strides in educational attainment, marking a transformative shift within the U.S. educational landscape. This progress not only changes individual lives but also profoundly impacts communities and future generations.
Today, Latinas are navigating and excelling in education like never before.
You can read more about that in Latinas in Education: Breaking Barriers and Shaping Futures, my recent sub-stack of last week.
According to the study, Latinas have seen a dramatic increase in college enrollment and degree attainment over the past two decades. From 2000 to 2021, the number of Latinas holding a bachelor's degree or higher nearly quadrupled, rising from approximately 1 million in 2000 to 3.5 million in 2021.
This surge is part of a broader trend of increased education attainment among the Hispanic population driven by the younger generations achieving higher levels of education.
Stories like Domenica’s, another recent substack I recently wrote, capture the essence of why the younger generations are achieving higher levels of education.
“Both my sisters went to college and they served as examples for me,” Dominica stated in her interview. Her family's belief in the importance of education and encouragement to follow her dreams were pivotal. Domenica’s mother, who had missed out on her own educational opportunities due to socio-economic constraints, was a strong advocate for her daughters’ education. “My mom believed we should follow our dreams. I think she didn't have those same opportunities because my grandmother worked at a factory and my grandfather was very conservative and traditional,” she said.
This is like many of our stories.
But despite this growth in economic and educational attainment, disparities still exist. For instance, while 20% of Latinas have obtained a bachelor's degree, this figure lags behind 35% of women in the United States.
That's the entire population of the women in the United States.
This discrepancy highlights the need for continued support and resources to help Latinas achieve priority in higher education.
Listen to Hispanic-ish Under 5 Minutes for a recap of this week’s articles.
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