The Hispanic Gender Gap in Educational Attainment: Historic Trends and Racial Comparisons

• In Event: 1255 - Section on Latina/o Sociology Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 2. Demographic Profiles

Abstract

How does the Hispanic gender gap in educational attainment compare to other racial/ethnic groups? Given the growing demographic shifts in the racial/ethnic composition of the U.S., there is a need for scholarship to explore the gender gap in educational attainment beyond black-white differences. Historically, Hispanics have achieved lower college completion rates compared to other racial groups. Using data from the U.S. Census, and the American Community Survey, we examine trends in the Hispanic gender gap and compare it to black and white gender gap trends for cohorts born between 1915 and 1988. We also consider differences in citizenship status ⎯ that is, those who are native born, naturalized, or non-citizens ⎯ in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis of college completion rates between Hispanics, Blacks, and whites in the U.S. and its association with the educational gender gap. Preliminary findings support previous research that whites, particularly white women, have the highest college completion rates compared to blacks and Hispanics. Further, we find that age at which immigration occurred impacts the likelihood of completing college, with migration occurring after age four-teen reducing the likelihood of completing college. Among the native born and naturalized Hispanics, there are higher rates of college completion compared to non-citizens, but the gender gap is larger. Lastly, we also find that college enrollment trends for Hispanic men declined post 1960s, which could be explained by greater access to higher quality jobs that men have into the labor market.

Authors

• Shauna Dyer, University of Michigan

• Giovanni Román-Torres, University of Michigan