Hispanic Women/Latinas' Journey to Higher Education Institutions in the Midwest of the United States

• In Event: 18.032 - Latinas' Journey in Higher Education and Leadership Model for Students, Faculty, and Administrators

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this presentation is to analyze Hispanic women/Latinas’ experiences and perceptions about their journey to leadership in higher education, the barriers they encountered, and their access to and acquisition of resources necessary for their success.

Significance
The U.S. Department of Commerce (2014) released a report identifying some 17% of the nation’s total population as Hispanic. This percentage is projected to increase by 128.8 million over the next decades, at which time Hispanics will constitute 31% of the United States’ inhabitants by the year 2030. Given these statistics, it appears likely that the following will occur: (1) colleges and university systems will need Hispanic women to serve as role models and provide leadership, and (2) the economic future of this country’s Hispanic communities will depend on well-educated and well-prepared Latinas entering to the job market.

Theoretical Framework
This presentation will provide an overview of theories on leadership and on the extant literature of Hispanic women in higher education and leadership (Bolman & Deal, 2008; Charaniya, 2012; Gill, 2010; Mezirow, 1991; Mezirow, 2012; O’ Sullivan, 2012; Rodríguez, 1999). Overall, a critical approach was taken, recognizing that race, gender, and socioeconomic status shape leadership opportunities (AAUW, 2013; AAUW2014; Kowalski, 2009; Northouse, 2013; Núñez & Murakami-Ramalho, 2011). In order to understand women’s pathways to leadership, perceived barriers, and desired resources, this study employed a conceptual framework that integrated Mezirow’s (1991, 2012) Transformative Learning Theory, Gill’s (2010, 2014) leadership domains, and theories by Charaniya (2012), Rodríguez (1999), and Witz (2006, 2010, 2012). Combined, these theories helped to pinpoint the various areas or domains within which Hispanic women perceive barriers and/or receive resources.


Data Collection
Twenty-four participants were interviewed on this study. Data collected from participants was done using four methods: (1) a biographical questionnaire, (2) two interviews, (3) follow-up reflections over email, and (4) field notes, which included the researcher’s journal and personal reflections.

Conclusions
The results of this study were rich in information because some participants were born in other countries and others here in the United States who still upholds their Hispanic/Latina roots. The findings of this study described the barriers, resources, and the journey to leadership of twenty-four participants, plus the researcher’s own experiences. The barriers revealed by participants center on two central themes: specifically those related to identity (interactions between racial/ethnic self-identification, social perceptions, and gender) and systemic themes (regarding institutional level efforts and lack of recruitment, retention, and promotion processes). Resources were found to have included personal (family and spirituality) and structural (mentoring and scholarships) supports. While one purpose of this study was to disseminate information that will empower Latina educators, this inquiry also informs legislators, educational officials, and higher educational administrators of the institutional support needed to recruit, retain, and promote Hispanic women in their organizations.

Author

• Daisy Indira Collins, Missouri State University