Degree of ethnicity and aspirations for upward social mobility among Mexican American youth

Abstract

Theoretical statements by Talcott Parsons and others were used as a basis in deriving the hypothesis guiding this effort: that degree of identification with the Mexican American subculture among adolescents is inversely related to desire for upward social mobility. Data used to test this hypothesis were available from a 1967 study of over 500 Mexican American high school sophomores from South Texas. Ethnic identification was indicated by an index of the use of Spanish in a variety of situations. Aspiration for intergenerational mobility was measured through cross-classification of the respondents' occupational aspirations with the job of main breadwinner in his family. Comparative analysis of “upwardly mobile” and “nonmobile” respondents by ethnicity, SES, and sex and comparison of ethnicity scores by degree of mobility projected for each SES type did not support the hypothesis. Relevant theoretical implications were drawn and suggestions were provided for future research.