"Why We Could Not Study": The Gendered Enrollment Barriers of 1.25-Generation Immigrants

• In Event: Latinx Youth, Immigration, and Afro-Latinx

Abstract

This paper examines the barriers to school enrollment experienced by Latinx 1.25 generation immigrants who are undocumented. Arriving between the ages of 13 to 17, some 1.25 generation youth never enroll in traditional U.S. K-12 schooling. I show the barriers to enrollment are gendered. Consistent with existing studies, economic needs push 1.25 generation men into low-wage work rather than school. Prioritizing paid work, however, was not the main barrier encountered by 1.25 generation women. Rather, providing unpaid care work, along with lack of information and support, kept young women out of school. I urge stakeholders to expand how we think about the work demands keeping 1.25 generation youth out of schooling and call for targeted supports to address enrollment barriers.

Author

• Daysi Ximena Diaz-Strong, University of Illinois Chicago