Latinas say Hispanic women face far more pressure than Hispanic men to cook and clean at home, be attractive, get married and have children, be pleasant, and have few sexual partners. Similar shares of Hispanic women and men say they feel pressures related to family or work.
Some groups of Latinas feel more pressure than others. Latinas who are younger, college graduates or are born in the United States are especially likely to say they feel pressures to be successful at work and to live close to their family.
This chapter explores the life pressures Latinas face and how different groups of Latinas experience these stressors.
What pressures do Hispanic women face?
Among Latinas, large shares say Hispanic women in the U.S. face considerable pressure when it comes to doing things associated with gender roles for women.
- About two-thirds of Latinas (68%) say Latinas in the U.S. face a great deal or fair amount of pressure to do the cooking and cleaning at home.
- About six-in-ten (62%) say that U.S. Latinas face a great deal or fair amount of pressure to be beautiful by taking the time to dress nicely, wear makeup or do their hair and nails.
- A majority of Latinas (56%) say Latinas face a great deal or fair amount of pressure to get married and have children.
- About half (52%) say Latinas face a great deal or a fair amount of pressure to be pleasant.
How do pressures differ for Hispanic women and men?
Overall, Latinas are more likely to say Hispanic women face the following pressures a great deal or a fair amount than they are to say the same of Hispanic men:
- Do the cooking and cleaning at home (68% of women vs. 19% of men)
- Get married and have children (56% vs. 36%)
- Be pleasant (52% vs. 28%)
- Have few sexual partners (39% vs. 20%)
When it comes to being physically attractive, 62% of Latinas say Hispanic women face pressure to be beautiful, while 37% say Hispanic men face pressure to be handsome.
On the other hand, Hispanic women are more likely to say Hispanic men face the following pressures than they are to say that Hispanic women face them:
- Avoid talking about their feelings (48% of men vs. 33% of women)
- Physically intimidate others (30% vs. 17%).
And Latinas say Hispanic men face more pressure to join in when other men are talking about women in a sexual way (37%) than Hispanic women face when other women are talking about men in a sexual way (17%).
By age among Latinas
Younger Latinas are more likely than those who are older to say Latinas in the U.S. face a great deal or fair amount of pressure across all eight examples asked about in the survey.
- 67% of those ages 18 to 29 say Latinas in the U.S. face pressure to get married and have children, compared with 44% of those 50 to 64 and 43% of those 65 and older.
- 71% of those 18 to 29 say Latinas face pressure to be beautiful, while 53% of those 50 to 64 and 50% of those 65 and older say the same.
- 77% of those 18 to 29 say Latinas face pressure to do the cooking and cleaning at home, compared with 58% of those 50 to 64 and 57% of those 65 and older.
Substantial differences between Latinas ages 18 to 29 and those 50 and older also emerge in their views of how much pressure Latinas face to have few sexual partners, be pleasant and avoid talking about their feelings.
By education
Latinas with a bachelor’s degree or higher and those with some college education are more likely to say Latinas in the U.S. face a great deal or fair amount of pressure to cook and clean at home, be beautiful, get married and have children, be pleasant, and have few sexual partners.
Those with a high school diploma or less education and those with some college are more likely to say that Latinas face pressure to avoid talking about their feelings.
By nativity
Among Latinas, U.S. born are more likely than immigrants to say Hispanic women in the U.S. face a great deal or fair amount of pressure to cook and clean at home, be beautiful, get married and have children, be pleasant, and have few sexual partners.
Family and work pressures
About three-in-ten Hispanic women say they extremely or very often feel pressure to provide care for children in their family (30%) and to live close to their family (28%). Slightly fewer say they frequently feel pressure to support their family financially (24%) and to provide care for elderly family members (22%).
By contrast, Hispanic men (23%) are less likely than Hispanic women to say they often feel pressure to care for children in their family. However, Hispanic men (30%) are more likely than Hispanic women to say they often feel pressure to support their family financially.
Overall, about half of Hispanic women in the U.S. (53%) say they often feel at least one of four family-related pressures in the survey, a similar share to Hispanic men (49%).
Meanwhile, similar shares of Hispanic women (39%) and Hispanic men (40%) say they often feel pressure to be successful in their job or career.
Hispanic women’s views on how frequently they personally face family and work pressures vary by age, education and nativity:
- Younger Latinas are more likely to say they extremely or very often feel pressure to provide care for children in their family, live close to their family and be successful in their job or career.
- Latinas with a bachelor’s degree or higher are more likely than those with no college experience to say they extremely or very often feel pressure to live close to their family, support their family financially and succeed in their job or career.
- Latinas born in the U.S. are more likely than Latina immigrants to say they extremely or very often feel pressure to succeed in their job or career, and on all four family pressures – providing care for children, living close to family, supporting family financially and providing care for elderly family members.
