unequally distributed and social stratification propagates discrimination and social injustice (Ellis & Carlson, 2009).
Socioeconomic Status: The literature supports that Latinos face discrimination regardless of socioeconomic status or education level. “Regrettably, as a group, Latinos are one of the nation’s most socioeconomically disenfranchised groups in the US (Marotta & Garcia, 2003). They have higher rates of living in poverty and of being unemployed, overrepresented in low-wage jobs, and have lower rates of educational attainment compared to non-Latino Whites (Motel, 2012)” (as cited in Molina & Simon, 2013).
Education: The Latino high school drop out rate has decreased in the recent years to 14%, it is still above the national average rate for Blacks at (8%), Whites (5%), and Asians (4%), (Pew Research, 2015). Yet, due to economic constraints most Latinos still do not pursue four-year degrees, even though Latino parents place high emphasis on education as part of climbing the economic ladder, Latinos are still dropping out of school at an impressive rate in order to help their family financially.
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This raises the question of how to make 4-year institutions more accessible to Latinos who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds? If Latino students are still dropping out at high rates do to economic conditions in which they must choose to pursue their education or contribute to their family’s finances, how does society alleviate some of the economic pressures that Latino students face? The oppression experienced by Latino students seeking higher education, only highlights the fact that higher education is only accessible for some, and equality must be created for