Causes for Increase in the Hispanic Population - Research Paper Example

CAUSES FOR INCREASE IN THE HISPANIC POPULATION INTRODUCTION The word “Hispanic” normally refers to a person who speaks Spanish. This word is used torefer to Spain and its history and culture. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Hispanic population in the United States has grown so enormously that the population which was 9.6 million in the year 1970 became 35.3 million in the year 2000 and is expected to go as high as 47.8 million by the year 2010. This research paper deals with the analysis of the various factors that are responsible for this staggering amount of the Hispanic population in the United States of America. Note: Though often used interchangeably in American English, Hispanic and Latino are not identical terms, and in certain contexts the choice between them can be significant. Hispanic, from the Latin word for "Spain," has the broader reference, potentially encompassing all Spanish-speaking peoples in both hemispheres and emphasizing the common denominator of language among communities that sometimes have little else in common. Causes for increase in the Hispanic population The causes for the massive increase in the Hispanic population in the US are many. Some of them are outlined below. Natural cause(high fertility rate) Immigration Availability of better jobs Location Natural Cause One of the natural causes which attribute to the increase in the Hispanic population in the United States is the fertility rate in the Hispanic women which is 2.4- higher than the national rate of 2.1, which also represents the natural replacement level. The Hispanic baby boom is transforming the demographics of small-town America in a dramatic way. Similarly, while the number of live births per 1,000 Hispanic women is 96, the total U.S. rate is only 64.2, or more than 30 points lower. The Census Bureau’s 1990 data report 22.3 million Hispanics. By 2003, that number increased to 39.9 million. To put it short, one can say that births fuel the growth of Hispanic population. In fact, the number of births is outpacing immigration as the key source of growth. This natural increase, which is also because of the fact that the number of births is more than the number of deaths, is quickening because they are younger than the US population as a whole. According to research reports, currently, 34.1 percent of Hispanics are younger than 18(compared with 25.1 percent of the total U.S. population). This has created a scenario where the Hispanics are having an impact that far outlasts their initial entry into the country. Immigration Another significant cause for this staggering growth of Hispanic population in the United States of America is quite obvious. It is nothing but immigration. Immigration has always been a cause for the growth of population in general, but the degree is higher in the case of Hispanic population. The United States of America has been the dream place for many people outside the US to live in since God knows when! And the Hispanics are no exception. The Hispanic immigration has its origin in the year 1942 with Braccro Program, a secret government project that was designed to quell the labor shortage caused by the Second World War. When the War was finished and the work completed, some people continued to stay in America. This population eventually multiplied and now the result is not very impressive. In fact America is a place occupied mostly by immigrants than the natives. The doors of America are open to almost everyone who would like to relocate. The most crowded of all the communities that have immigrated to America, is the Hispanic community. The Hispanic minority is perhaps the largest in America numbering 41.3 million at last count and is expected to constitute the majority by the year 2030. Availability of better jobs There are many reasons as to why people choose America and the myriad of employment opportunities is one of them. There is a job available to every Tom, Dick and Harry ranging from hauling goods, driving trucks and working in factories for meager wages. People are ready to do just about anything and this has led to the Hispanic growth in the USA tremendously. The wages that they get are sent back to their homes. This money earned from abroad ensures better life and health conditions for their family. Location Location is another factor that plays a vital role in the increasing Hispanic population. It is to be noted that most immigrants come from relatively nearby locations than other non-Hispanic immigrants such as Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba. These places are just a train hop or a boat ride away making immigration relatively easy and less expensive. These conditions have influenced families to cross over that might not have done so if it had been an ocean to be crossed. As stated earlier people decide to get a move on to make more money, attracted by lucrative job prospects available outside their own places. A comfortable and accessible location just makes things easier for them. These are some of the various causes that have led to the rapid increase in the Hispanic population in the United States of America. It is obvious that anything that has a cause will have an effect or an impact, whether good or bad. Similarly, some of the various impacts that are created by the Hispanic growth on the USA are outlined below. Impact of the increasing Hispanic population In an essay in Foreign Policy magazine, renowned academic Samuel P. Huntington argues that Hispanic immigration threatens to divide the United States "into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages." Some immigration-reform groups are taking heart from this theory. But Latino organizations are both furious and baffled over this assertion. The number of Hispanics in America is so large that people will not be surprised even if such a thing happens! The impact is felt on a lot of areas and some of the main areas are education and labor as outlined below. Education The rise of this so-called second generation will have immediate consequences for the nation’s schools and other educational institutions. The number of second-generation Latinos aged 5 to 19 years old is projected to more than double from 2000 to 2020, growing from 4.4 million to 9.0 million people (Table 4). About one-in-seven of the new students enrolling in schools of the US over these 20 years will be a second-generation Latino. (The Rise of the Second Generation: Changing Patterns in Hispanic Population Growth by Roberto Suro and Jeffrey S. Passel) Labor With respect to labor, Second generation growth will be felt just as powerfully in the economy. The non-Hispanic labor force has effectively stopped growing as the number of workers reaching retirement age or passing away is in rough balance with the number of new entrants. Thus from 2000 to 2020 the non-Hispanic labor force is projected to increase by 9 percent. Meanwhile, the Latino labor force is projected to increase by 77 percent through a combination of immigration and native-born youth reaching working age. Although Latinos made up only 12 percent of the total U.S. labor force in 2000, the number of Latino workers is projected to increase by 12.6 million by 2020 while the far larger non-Hispanic labor force will increase by only 11.6 million. The second generation is, and will remain, overwhelmingly young with a median age that increases from 12.8 years old to 17.2 years old from 2000 to 2020. Nonetheless it will be a major contributor to the growth of the Hispanic labor force, representing 43% of Latino growth, and to the growth of labor force overall, making up 23 percent of the increase in the nation’s labor force. (The Rise of the Second Generation: Changing Patterns in Hispanic Population Growth by Roberto Suro and Jeffrey S. Passel) Even in the field of entertainment, it is the Hispanic population that has the maximum audience percentage when compared to the others. Nielsen says that the Hispanic TV audience represents more than 11.63 million television households in the United States. No wonder the impact is as huge as their population! Thus these are the main areas where the impact of the Hispanic population is felt. Conclusion All of us know that population explosion, in general, delays the progress of any nation, be it the United States of America or India or some other country. Increase in population is not a good sign as the demerits are more in number than the merits. The impact of population is also not very impressive. Similarly, the rapid growth of Hispanic population in the United States of America has its own demerits. Given the reasons like high fertility rate in Hispanic women and immigration, the situation is not very telling. It is needless to say that steps have to be taken to curb the population growth. These may include awareness programs and the like. However, the need of the hour is to arrive at a solution that will make things easier and comfortable for people – both the Hispanics and the Americans- who are living currently in the United States of America. REFERENCES 1. Aaron Waldorf, 2006, ‘Evolution of the Hispanic in America: A Geo Cultural Perspective’, available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/93244/Hispanic-Immigration-into-America 2. Haya El Nasser, 30 June 2008, ‘Births fueling Hispanic growth’, USA Today, available at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-29-hispanics_N.htm 3. Roberto Suro and Jeffrey S. Passel, Oct 2003, ‘The Rise of the Second Generation: Changing Patterns in Hispanic Population Growth’, Pew Hispanic Center available at: http://www.hablamosjuntos.org/resources/pdf/PHC_Projections_final_(October_2003).pdf Read More