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The enrollment of female Hispanic high school graduates in colleges and universities increased 24 percent between 1994 and 2012, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.
An analysis of U.S. Census data showed que 76 percent of Latina students enroll for higher education, compared with 72 percent of their white non-Latina counterparts.
The figures for Asian American and black women are 86 percent and 69 percent, respectively.
Despite the difficulties they face in the social and political environment, Latinas have had a greater presence in education, Hector Sanchez, executive director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, said Friday.
“Latinas have shown for a long time that they play a central role in the country and chiefly in its academic, community and social possibilities,” he told Efe.
He said the increase of female Hispanic students in the country’s institutions of higher education was brought about by a concerted effort by organizations dedicated to the inclusion of minorities.
“There are many elements, many organizations that have achieved greater inclusion of Latinas in universities, in educational areas, while others did the same to promote civic participation,” he said.
According to the Pew report, in 1994 some 52 percent of Latina high-school graduates enrolled in college, as did 66 percent of non-Latina whites, 48 percent of African Americans and 81 percent of Asian Americans.
In 2012, the overall rate of women enrolled in higher education was above that of men, 71 percent vs. 61 percent.
In the case of Hispanic women, the percentage was 13 points higher than the men. Some 52 percent of male Hispanic students enrolled in college in 2012, the same rate that was reported in 1994.
Census data indicates that the number of Hispanic students has increased among the total population of university students nationwide, growing from 11 percent in 2006 to 17 percent in 2012.
Published in Latino Daily News