Mujeres Supporting: How Female Family Members Influence the Educational Success of Latino Males in Postsecondary Education

Abstract

The purpose of this multi-institutional qualitative study was to understand the educational pathways of Latino males by underscoring the unique role female family members play in their academic pursuits—through the voice of these young men. Findings demonstrate female family members were identified as being primary supporters of their educational pursuits, and actively leveraged different sources of cultural capital to help Latino males enroll and persist through postsecondary education. This study reinforces extant literature on the importance of family in the educational pathways of Latina/o students. Furthermore, it makes a unique contribution by highlighting the important role female family members hold in the Latino family as educational advocates.

Latino Men and Masculinities: A Multi-Institution Study of Community College Transfer Experiences

“…It also points to opportunities to explore how familismo is central to the impact of raced-gendered ethnic identity and to the developmental consciousness of Latino men’s understandings of intersectionality. The current study draws connections to a growing body of literature that explores the experiences of Latino men, perceptions of masculinities, and the role of the family (Duran & Perez, 2017; Rios & Eaton, 2016; Sáenz et al, 2017, 2018). It highlights the environmental factors of family responsibilities and finances.…”

“…Harris & Harper, 2008). Recent work includes studies on the transition to higher education and experiences in CCs (e.g., Garcia & Garza, 2016; Vasquez et al, 2020; Vasquez Urias & Wood, 2015) and in 4-year institutions (e.g., Estrada & Jimenez, 2018) or in a combination of these sectors (e.g., Sáenz et al, 2018). Still, research connecting the experiences of Latino men and masculinities during and after the transfer process is sorely needed (Rodriguez et al, 2017).…”

“…Scholarship points to financial challenges and pressures that contribute to college attainment inequities (Abrica & Martinez, 2016;Salinas & Hidrowoh, 2018;Sáenz et al, 2013) and reveals that campus engagement, student-faculty engagement, and establishing a sense of belonging are vital to Latino men's CC success (e.g., Garcia & Garza, 2016;Rodriguez, Massey, & Saenz, 2016). Some literature has focused on noncollege factors such as the forms of community cultural wealth Latino men draw upon, particularly from their father and women family members (e.g., Sáenz et al, 2017Sáenz et al, , 2018. Other scholarship has highlighted conflicts between college-going Latino men and their families, particularly regarding intersecting identities such as gender, race, ethnicity, and sexuality (e.g., Duran & Perez, 2017;Rodriguez, Lu, Bukoski, 2016).…”

Landing Spaces and Capital: Transfer Resiliency and Knowledge Building Among Latino Men

“…Employing a qualitative approach, Sáenz, García‐Louis, de las Mercédez, and Rodriguez () gathered data via twenty‐three focus groups with 130 Latino men enrolled in seven Texas community colleges. This study sought to understand the way Latino men described the influence of women in their family on their educational pathways.…”

Challenging Deficit Views of Latinx Students: A Strength‐based Perspective

“…Scholars have attempted to shift away from deficit‐based narratives by centering the assets Latinx and underserved students from low‐income backgrounds possess by applying and broadening Yosso's framework (Crisp, Doran, Carales, & Potts, ; Pérez Huber, ; Kouyoumdjian, Guzman, Garcia, & Talavera‐Bustillos, ; Luna & Martinez, ; Rendón et al., ). Yosso's framework has also been foundational in the study and advancement of a more accurate characterization of the experiences of Latinx community college students (Crisp et al., ; Sáenz, de las Mercédez, Rodriguez, & García‐Louis, ; Sáenz, Garcia‐Louis, de las Mercédez, & Rodriguez, ). Building from Community Cultural Wealth, Rendón et al.…”