Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mexican Americans

Many Mexican came to the U.S.A. as agricultural workers or spent majority of their lives working jobs that provided little opportunity for upward mobility or the ability to save for retirement (Angel &Angel, 1998). These older cohorts have extremely low levels of education, less fluent in English, and many were exposed to occupational health risks associated with farm work. These disadvantages, taken together, have a cumulative effect that seriously undermines the economic well being of older Mexican Americans. Those older individuals with no or very low incomes are particularly dependent on family for support. Angel & Angel,(1998) explains one out of every four elderly Mexican Americans in southwest has an income below the poverty line as defined by the U.S. government. More than 20% of those individuals in poverty report no income at all. One of the biggest problems among Mexican Americans is the lack of health insurance. Foreign born Mexican Americans have no private insurance and are
A strong emphasis is placed on family as the major source of one’s identity and protection against the hardships of life. This sense of family belonging is intense and limited to family and close friends. People who are not family or close friends are often slow to be given trust. The family model is an extended one; grandparents, aunts, cousins, and even people who are biologically related may be considerate part of the immediate family (Carteret 2011). The oldest male (direct relative) holds the greatest power in most families and may make health decisions for others in the family. Many Latino females, at publicly are expected to manifest respect and even submission to their husbands, though this complies varies by individual and is affected by acculturation in the U.S. Women follow the ideal of marianismo which refers to the high value Latino women place on being dedicated, loving and supportive wives and mothers (Carteret