From too Visible to Invisible: A Comparative Analysis of Latina Youth in the US and UK

Sampson’s (1998) ‘Latino Paradox’ has provided an alternate perspective to the anecdotal claims linking immigrants and crime. However, Latina youth of first and second generation not only encounter different barriers, but interpret these barriers differently based on their own experiences with the majority culture. Pressures on Latinos from prevailing social attitudes influence Latino/a youth’s experiences and life choices. This study addresses the relevance of culture on ethnic identity formation and its protective elements against offending behaviour among young Latina women in the US and UK. I explore issues around culture, ethnic identity and mother-daughter relationships; however, this study is not about the narrow question of delinquency but larger social processes of which delinquency is part. As such I apply general strain theory and ecological systems theory to set the theoretical framework and contextualize the effects of socio-environmental factors on Latin American girls’ youth identity. In addition, the model of acculturation is used to expound on the influence of environmental factors on Latina youth identity in western nations like the US and UK.

My research aims were explored through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with both youth and parents. For the Latina girls in my study family, specifically the mother-daughter bond was influential in their life choices and pathways. Mothers’ level of acculturation was indicative of the degree of culture transfer in the home and of the mother-daughter bond, a bond that maintained traditional Latin American values of familismo and respeto. As such for the Latina girls in my study culture, passed through the mother-daughter bond, functioned as a protective factor against risk taking behaviours and a pathway to delinquency across American and British contexts. The comparative element highlighted the importance of family support in Latina youths’ lives against the backdrop of negative prevailing social attitudes of Latin Americans in the US.