This article reviews the literature on the impact of phenotype on those classified as Latino to ascertain whether Latino is a suitable unit of analysis. The literature shows that phenotype has statistically significant effects on educational attainment, wages, job prestige, and other life outcomes; further those with more European phenotypes generally have more favorable life outcomes. These differences are obscured when Latino is used as a unit of analysis, suggesting that Latino is not a viable unit of analysis. Using Latino as a unit of analysis serves to misallocate resources intended to benefit victims of racial discrimination to Latinos with European phenotypes, as well as hiding the impact of discrimination on those with African or Amerindian phenotypes. The origin of Latino as a political term that attempted to distance and at the same time bring its members closer to whiteness makes its failure as a scientific tool unsurprising. Further research is needed on the impact of phenotype, and other areas of heterogeneity such as culture, religion, and language.
The Latino classification is distinct from all other racial or ethnic classifications employed in the United States as it is not based on shared physical appearance or geographical origin, instead Latinos are those who hail from a portion of the territories that once belonged to the Spanish Empire regardless of their ancestry or physical appearance. The diversity within the Latino classification means that it is unclear what is being measured when the Latino classification is used to conduct science. Regardless of the Latino classification's usefulness for science the Latino classification has been defended for its usefulness in helping redress the consequences of racism against Latinos. However, the ultimate cause of this discrimination is that most Latinos have a non-White appearance making the Latino classification a poor proxy for any effort to address racism. The solution is not to return to the classification system that existed prior to the creation of the Latino classification but to instead adopt more granular classifications employed in Latin America such as Mestizo and Mulatto. This will allow for a more detailed study of discrimination and the redirection of resources to those most in need.
This article reviews the literature on the impact of phenotype on those classified as Latino to ascertain whether Latino is a suitable unit of analysis. The literature shows that phenotype has statistically significant effects on educational attainment, wages, job prestige, and other life outcomes; further those with more European phenotypes generally have more favorable life outcomes. These differences are obscured when Latino is used as a unit of analysis, suggesting that Latino is not a viable unit of analysis. Using Latino as a unit of analysis serves to misallocate resources intended to benefit victims of racial discrimination to Latinos with European phenotypes, as well as hiding the impact of discrimination on those with African or Amerindian phenotypes. The origin of Latino as a political term that attempted to distance and at the same time bring its members closer to whiteness makes its failure as a scientific tool unsurprising. Further research is needed on the impact of phenotype, and other areas of heterogeneity such as culture, religion, and language. This article explores whether the classification of a phenotypically heterogeneous population as Latino, is sufficient to counter the importance that race, or phenotype has historically held in the United States in determining life outcomes. If all members of the
The Latino classification is distinct from all other racial or ethnic classifications employed in the United States as it is not based on shared physical appearance or geographical origin, instead Latinos are those who hail from a portion of the territories that once belonged to the Spanish Empire regardless of their ancestry or physical appearance. The diversity within the Latino classification means that it is unclear what is being measured when the Latino classification is used to conduct science. Regardless of the Latino classification's usefulness for science the Latino classification has been defended for its usefulness in helping redress the consequences of racism against Latinos. However, the ultimate cause of this discrimination is that most Latinos have a non‐White appearance making the Latino classification a poor proxy for any effort to address racism. The solution is not to return to the classification system that existed prior to the creation of the Latino classification but to instead adopt more granular classifications employed in Latin America such as Mestizo and Mulatto. This will allow for a more detailed study of discrimination and the redirection of resources to those most in need.
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