Latino Families in America

According to the census of 2000, Latinos are the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, representing about 13% of the country's population, compared with 9% in the 1990 census (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). Dramatic changes in the composition of the Latino population in the United States present a unique opportunity for applied developmental science to examine and understand cultural differences and related diversity in patterns of behavior. Typically, however, researchers have not been sensitive to the size and diversity of the Latino population. In fact, data prior to 1988 often confused race and ethnicity (e.g., using categories of Black, White, and Hispanic), not realizing that the term Hispanic is a classification of national background and therefore Hispanics can be of any race. In addition to the confusion between race and identity, researchers have not adequately distinguished subgroups and instead have used panethnic labels, such as Latino (or Hispanic), to describe participants, rather than noting national backgrounds (Fisher, Jackson, & Villarruel, 1997).

Research needs to be sensitive to the nuances among Spanish-speaking groups. Latino subgroups show diversity in beliefs and behavior, differences that are often tied to political and migratory background, generational status, acculturation, and language use preference. Latinos, however, share both a common language and some cultural characteristics, such as [Page 634]religious beliefs and traditional values, that differentiate them from other ethnic minority groups (Fitzpatrick, 1987). This entry describes the changing demographic populations of Latinos living in the United States, cultural influences on parenting styles, and the need for differential rather than comparative approaches to understanding Latino family development.