American Latinos: Cubans, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans

Three of the cheeseparingly dominant Hispanics present in the American society today argon the Mexican (66. 9%), Puerto Ricans (8. 6%) and Cubans (3. 7%) (Ramirez & Cruz, 2003, 20). Aside from the fact that all in all three groups speak Spanish, all sh ar common cultural backgrounds that differ from the US mainstream society. For one, the Latinos ar very family oriented and keep extended families at househ anile (Driscoll et al, 2001, 255 Andersen & Collins). In or so Latino families, grandp arents live with one of their marital children or married children live with their parents. Some quantify relatives as well live with the thermonuclear family.Grandmothers played a significant role in the lives of Latino families, they help oneself in raising their grandchildren and act as advisers. Latino parents also lack their children to live with them until they get married. Such nicety conflicts with the US mainstream society where independency and self-reliance is largely em phasized (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 263-265). Keeping an extended family in the crustal plate is non popular in US refining in fact, children are expect to leave their homes when they reach eighteen. Children who still live with their parents at that get along with are looked upon as dependent.Unlike Latino grandparents, grayer wo workforce in mainstream society exercised slight power over their married children and more often than not stand up from depression due to an empty nest syndrome. Moreover, the prevalent nearbodyistic culture of mainstream society in the US do not allow for besides much dependence with other people even with their own family. The Americans worked solid in their entire living to support their old age. Unlike the old Latinos that were taken mete outd of in the home when they are sick, aged Americans are comm alone cared for in foster homes or hospices.Americans viewed too much dependence on others as a sign of laziness and irresponsibility (Ande rsen & Collins, 1995, 265). Latinos mince forficate model for men and women. The honor of Latino family rest on the in editional deportment of their women. Women must keep their virginity at all cost until spousal and be differential to men in their sexuality. Although Hispanics in the twentieth ascorbic acid may not hold the same strict sexual values, the customs duty of maintaining virginity until marriage continues to be a cultural imperative.However, married women are suppositional to accept a double standard for sexual behavior by which their husbands may have sexual affairs with other women. This double standard supports the Latino stereotype of machismo. Many mannishs celebrated their adolescence by visiting prostitutes and their father, uncles or older brothers pays for sexual initiation. Adolescent females on the other hand hold de exactlys that emphasize their virginity (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 264-266).Unlike in US mainstream society, there is an equal standar d on male and female sexual behavior, males and females are expected to give up their virginity at a young age around 15 or 16. Their peers ridiculed them if they are still virgins at 18. This difference in sexual behavior had caused tensions oddly among American adolescents and female Latinas who were taught to keep their virginity at all cost. At present however, due to American cultural cast, younger Latinas now dumbfound themselves challenging handed-down sexual mores (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 256).In Latin society, female design of commodity is connected by their be a martyr or submissive to their husbands and to their family. staminate superiority had its roots also in machismo. Adult males, however, gave a higher respect and reverence for their mothers. Moreover, in Latino families, women are traditionally regarded as homemakers, as much as possible they stay in the home to care for the family musical composition the men provide for them. American cultural influenc e however changed the Latino culture especially as the Latinos sour exposed to the independent and emancipated behaviors of the Americans (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 265-266).II. Mexicans and Mexican Americans cod to American victory of Mexico and the granting of US citizenship in 1848 through the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexicans became a part American society. In the years 1880s and 1940s, adult maley of them migrated to America as laborers. Due to the proximity of America to Mexico, many entered the country as culpable immigrants (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 249). standardised most Latino cultures, Mexican families are patriarchal in nature. remote families are important instruments of commintegrity life and nuclear family units are associate together through an elaborate system of kinship and god parenting.Women are regarded as subordinates to men and are expected to take care of the family while the men work to provide for them. Machismo is also a part of their cultur e, with men celebrating manhood through the conquest of many women and acting as superior. Mexican families also recognize extended family network, particularly the system of compadrezo or godparenting. In Mexican society, godparents are an important factor that links family and community. Compadrezos are expected to act as guardians, provide financial assistance in times of need and to substitute in case of death.Because of their devotion to catholic reliance and machismo, Chicanos do not approve of homosexuality (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 254 Driscoll et al, 2001, 256) In rancor of the influence of American culture, racism, segregation and proximity to Mexico help the Chicanos (Mexican-American) to maintain some traditional family practices although the imposition of American law and custom ignored and ultimately undermined some aspects of the extended family. Wives are now exercising power over their husbands as they entered the workforce.Unfortunately, even though both work, most men do not help in household chores so that chicanas are prone to stress. . unexampled generation Chicanos, on the other hand, demands independence like their US counterparts and most potential engaged in social intercourse at a refuse age (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 230 Spence, 2003). Since many of the Mexicans entered illegally in the US, many of them were not sufficient o move freely in American mainstream society causing so much stress on their part. Like the rest of the Latinos, Chicanos are at risk for developing asthma, diabetes, and AIDS (Center for Disease Control, 2008).Illegal immigrants however, refuse to depend a doctor when they got sick as they are afraid to be deported (Figueroa & gryphon, 2006, 2). II. Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans are the poorest group of all the Latinos and generally are the most dark-skinned. Puerto Ricans graduation exercise entered the country in 1898 when the United States take possession of Puerto Rico during the Spanish- American Wa r (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 229). The family is patriarchal in nature, with men acting as providers and protectors and women as homemakers.Men do not take part actively in domesticated chores and caring for their children although they are expected to be affectionate to them. Machismo is also a part of thier culture, subordinating women to men and men perceived as having a higher sexual drive. Men enjoy more freedom in public than women do and it is expected that they have many female conquest. Male dominance is met with a womans submissiveness and in the belief that a womans virtue is further enhanced by being patient and forbearing toward their men although generally women mistrust their men.Puerto Rican women however, in spite of the demands of being patient and forbearing, do not see themselves as resigned females but as dynamic homemakers. Although conscious of their subordinate status to their husbands, wives are also aware of their power and the demands they can make. They can choose to live with the man or leave him when he turns out to be abusive. Furthermore, Puerto Rican women regarded motherhood as a womans greatest satisfaction in life base on their concept of marianismo. Virgin Mary is seen as a womans role model (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 255-260).Ideal family relations are based on two interrelated themes, family unity and family interdependence. Family unity refers to the desirability of close and intimate kin ties, with members getting along well and keeping in frequent contact despite dispersal and getting together during holidays or celebrations. Family unity is viewed as contributing to the strengthening of family interdependence. They believe that the greater the unity in the family, the greater the emphasis family members volition place on interdependence and familial obligation.Despite the adaptation to American life, Puerto Rican families are still defined by reciprocity among family members, especially those in the immediate fami ly kinship group. Individuals in Puerto Rican families will expect and ask for assistance from certain people in their companionable networks without any derogatory implications of self-esteem. The older women expect to be taken cared of during old age by their adult children (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 255-260). Although emotional and physical closeness among women is advance by the culture, over acknowledgment of lesbianism is even more restricted than in mainstream American society.In fact, rejection of homosexuals appears to be the dominant attitude in the Puerto Rican community forcing homosexuals to star topology a double life although the American concept of equality and individual rights threatens this belief (Andersen & Collins, 1995, 260). Concerning their health, Puerto Ricans have higher risk for AIDS since they least likely get married. They also have the highest rate of developing diabetes among the Latinos (Center for Disease Control, 2008). In recent times, the cul ture of male dominance is being challenged in Puerto Rican families especially that women also now work.Daughters however are expected to care for the home while their brothers work. New generation Puerto Ricans also engages in sex at an earlier age as compared to their island counterparts. Children also demands more independence from agnatic control (Shaefer, 2006, 239 Andersen & Collins, 1995, 255). IV. Cubans The Cubans first entered America as political refugees during the Cuban regeneration in 1959. They are the most successful of all the Latinos since most of them are professionals and the US government assisted them (Schaefer, 2006, 247 Andersen & Collins, 1995, 229).The Cuban family is also patriarchal in nature and the concept of machismo is very much entrenched in their nature perhaps largely because they had been the last Latin nation to be liberated from Spanish control and their lives had been dominated by military struggles. The ingrained machismo concept had caused much regression and assimilation conflict in Cuban males in America. Cubans in America are permitted to have sexual relations with American women as long as they do not forget to wed a Cuban girl.Men do not do household chores because it decreases their machismo. Women are regarded as subordinates although women are now asserting more authority in the Cuban American home as they entered the workforce. However, women still respect male superiority and ask for their approval when joining clubs or engaging in social activities. The importance of extended families also diminished god parenting-role is lessened. Cuban Americans do not accept homosexuality and were repulsed by the fact that some men chose to discard their male power to act as women.However, unconnected the Americans who regarded both persons of the same sex who engages in intercourse as homosexuals, the Cubans only regarded homosexual the person who assumes the position of a woman in intercourse (Schaefer, 2006, 250 And ersen & Collins, 1995, 229). Many Cubans however publicly proclaimed that they would like to return to Cuba someday when Castros government is overturned and so they desired not to be all too adaptive to American culture (Schaefer, 2006, 250). V. ConclusionThe Latino culture of family dependence through extended families, male superiority, women chastity and homosexual horror is being challenged in the American mainstream society. As they live in America, Latino family structure suffer changes in gender roles wherein women now asserts some form of authority , independence and sexual freedom. Parents and extended families also exert lesser power over the new generation. With regard to health issues, the Mexican illegal immigrants are at a disadvantage in accessing health care while the Puerto Ricans are at a higher risk for contract AIDS and diabetes.References Andersen, Margaret and Patricia Collins. (1995). Race, Class and Gender, 2nd ed. Belmont Wadsworh Publishing Company. Cent er for Disease Control. (2008). wellness Disparities Affecting Minorities. Retrieved March 14, 2008 from http//www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/hispanicamericanhealth. html Driscoll, Anne K. , M. Antonia Biggs, Claire D. Brindis, and Ekua Yankah. 2001. 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