Career development and professional advancement

Education - Counseling

Bias Against Latinos in the U.S. Workforce

The fact that Latinos experience discrimination in the workforce is not disputed, and this paper will point to research that provides verifiable data on that subject. One main legal basis for a Latino worker who expects fairness and unbiased attitudes from corporate America is found in Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, which "prohibits employment discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion or national origins" (www.FindLaw.com).

It is important to note that there are various degrees of discrimination against Latinos and differing perceptions of discrimination that are part of the discussion of bias against Latinos. For example, an article in the Journal of Community Psychology (Perez, et al., 2008) explains that "...more acculturated Mexican immigrants" (that is, those Latinos who have spent a good deal of time in the U.S., who have good English language skills and higher educational achievements) report "higher rates of discrimination" when compared with "less-acculturated" Mexicans who immigrated to the U.S.

This data results from studies by the National Latino and Asian-American Study (NLAAS), which Perez and her colleagues utilized in this scholarly piece. The NLAAS research shows that 38% of Latinos living in New York City (Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, among other Latinos) reported experiencing discrimination in work and housing-related issues. The bottom line when it comes to perceptions of bias in the workplace is that "...as Latinos achieve higher social status and become more assimilated, they have a greater sensitivity to discrimination..." (Perez, p. 427). And so, if these statements are true, the higher a Latino moves up in the corporate or other job market, the more likely he or she is to detecting bias from colleagues or supervisors. As a generalization that fits this context well, Perez writes (p. 430) that the "...increase in rate of perceived discrimination among the younger male cohorts" can be explained by the "potential increase in exposure" to career opportunities and hence other cultures. While younger Latinos have "higher expectations of fair treatment" than their parents do, Perez also points out that younger Latinos define workplace treatment "...as discriminatory more often than their parents do" (p. 430).

Being Latino and having to deal with discrimination at any level us uncomfortable and of course unfair. When a new job in a new city has been offered, a typical Latino must then secure housing, which can be problematic. Even the effort to seek decent housing - while at the same time succeeding in his or her new workplace - can bring pain and prejudice. Indeed, Forbes Magazine reports that the real estate corporate giant RE/MAX East-West was ordered to pay $120,000 to the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) to resolve a housing discrimination lawsuit. A RE/MAX agent was caught being prejudicial when NFHA sent "testers" (Latino and White potential homebuyers) to find housing for a Latino family.

What happened was the RE/MAX agent told a Latino "tester" that a home in a predominately Latino and African-American neighborhood "might be good for you" while telling a white "tester" sent by NFHA the same homes in that neighborhood were "dumps" and "repos." "This agent of RE/MAX blatantly discriminated against Latinos," said NFHA President and CEO Shanna L. Smith. So, the bottom line of that story is Latinos may be getting good jobs in some cases but finding appropriate housing near one's place of work can be a minefield of bias and deception.

Meanwhile, to answer the question, what effects does being Latino have on seeking a professional career, a study by the AFL-CIO shows that "...three of four Latino workers say workplace rights need more protection" (www.aflcio.org).Accordingto the AFL-CIO research, called "the most exhaustive study ever conducted on worker's rights," nearly one-third of Latinos interviewed on the job said they have faced "workplace discrimination based on their ethnicity" (AFL-CIO). The Peter D. Hart Research Associates group conducted this research for the AFL-CIO; the research sampled 1,792 adult Latinos and Asians. It was called "Worker's Rights in America: What Workers Think About Their Jobs and Employers," and it is considered a "wakeup call" to "corporate America," according to AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson. The survey also found that 78% of Latino workers believe "more protection for workplace rights" is needed in America.