Gender dynamics are shifting in workplaces all across the United States. A broad majority of Americans have a positive view of women’s increasing role in the workforce and other previously male-dominated arenas, but some groups are responding more favorably to this empowerment than others. A recent study conducted in part by the Center for American Progress shows that Latino men and women are more likely to hold progressive views about women’s place in society than the nation at large.
The survey included 3,413 respondents and featured an oversample of Latinos designed to gauge where this group’s opinions converge and differ from the mainstream. Comparing Latinos’ responses with other groups reveals that Latinos, especially Latino women, favor a stronger role for women in the workplace and an equal voice in decision-making at home.
When prompted to evaluate the fact that women now make up almost half of the American workforce, 87 percent of Latino responded favorably, compared to 77 percent of women in general. Latino men had similarly positive views, with 82 percent favoring these changes compared to only 75 percent of American men on the whole.
When it came to desires for their children’s futures, Latinos expressed significantly more interest in seeing their daughters have "an interesting career" than the population at large. Most picked having "a happy marriage and children" as the most important achievement their daughters should attain in life.
Latino men and women are also more likely to share or evenly split financial and household decision-making responsibilities. Thirty-two percent of Latino men—compared with only 15 percent of the entire male sample—say that it is very important for their romantic partner to help support the family financially. And 54 percent of Latino men say it is very important for their romantic partner to "make major household decisions," showing a more egalitarian attitude to running a household than the rest of men, only 46 percent of whom responded similarly.
Latinos also express noticeably more progressive attitudes about women’s role in politics. When asked whether or not they agreed with the statement "Today’s women’s movement is a movement that considers the needs of men and families too, not just women," 81 percent of Latino women and 75 percent of Latino men agreed, compared to 73 percent of women and 59 percent of men overall. When prompted with the statement "There would be fewer problems in the world if women had a more equal role in position in government and business," 78 percent of Latino women and 64 percent of Latino men agreed, compared with 69 percent of women and 54 percent of men overall.
This data shows that Latinos embrace a greater role for women in the workplace, home, and society. This group will likely be at the forefront of pushing for greater gender equality, and it will be interesting to see what role Latino individuals play in creating an expanded role for American women.