| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, November 03 2003 |
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| Phoenix. Coming to Phoenix is always a blistering experience. On one hand there is the warmth of its hospitable people, and on the other the heat that slaps you in the face the minute you walk out of the air-conditioned airport. It's the middle of fall and the thermometer stands at a sweltering 100 degrees. But this time around the intensity of the heat was not generated only by the sun, but by the energy that emanated from a room full of powerful, professional, influential and dynamic Hispanic women from across the United States.
Two thousand women gathered at the National Hispanic Women's Conference in this southwestern city to further empower, educate and motivate Latinas. I was honored to have been invited as keynote speaker. The topic: the future of Latinas. The data I gathered to prepare my speech painted a somewhat bleak picture for the future of our young women, however I found good reasons to be proud and optimistic.
Projections by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health indicate that by the year 2050, one out of every four women in the United States will be a Latina. While those numbers are impressive they are also worrisome. The high school drop out rate stands at 30% for Latinas. Among female peers, Latinas are the least likely to earn bachelors degrees. Only 10 percent of Latinas complete four or more years of college. If we don't do something to improve the education level of Latinas and other young women in this country, we will have a substantial portion of our society lacking the education they need to face the challenges of the times.
There are several reasons why these young women are dropping out of school. Anywhere from marriage and pregnancy, to the need to work and help support the family and take care of younger siblings. Then there's the cultural component in which many traditional Hispanic families raise their daughters to become housewives and mothers and give more importance to their learning how to cook, clean and wash than to read, write and count. Unfortunately there is also the lack of motivation and encouragement.
The good news is that there is hope. More and more parents are realizing the value of raising their daughters to be responsible and productive members of our society. A lot of hard work and sacrifice is going into helping them fulfill their professional dreams.
As a result Hispanic women are making strides in all walks of life. There are more Latinas in managerial or professional positions than Latino men. There are 470 thousand Latina owned firms employing more than 198 thousand people and generating almost 30 billion dollars in sales. There are more Latinas in politics than ever before. 25% of Hispanic congressional seats are held by Latinas and there are at least 8 Latinas in senior positions in the Bush Administration.
What comes with these accomplishments is not just pride but also a big responsibility to become mentors and role models. Professional women can and should help pave the way for young women, but they can't do it alone. The educational system needs to take more responsibility in counseling Latina students taking cultural issues into consideration.
It also requires a commitment from civic leaders, as well and local and State government. And Congress needs to pass pending legislation that would allow all immigrant students access to higher education regardless of their immigration status. The first step was taken by the Senate judiciary committee, now it needs to go all the way.
I put my money and my time where my mouth is. I established a scholarship for a student interested in following a career in Spanish language media and I became a mentor with People Magazine's digital heroes program. I took the challenge, let's hope many others do as well. The future of Latinas and our country is at stake, it's worth the investment. |
