“They Always Call Me an Investment”: Gendered Familism and Latino/a College Pathways
In the past 20 years, Latinas have begun to outperform Latinos in high school completionand college enrollment, tracking the overall “gender reversal” in college attainment thatfavors women. Few studies have examined what factors contribute to Latinas’ increasingeducational success. This article focuses on gender differences in college-going behavioramong a cohort of 50 Latino/a college aspirants in the San Francisco East Bay Area.Through 136 longitudinal interviews, I examine trends in Latinos/as’ postsecondary pathwaysand life course decisions over a two-year period. Findings suggest evidence forgendered familism, in which gender and racial/ethnic beliefs intersect to differentiallyshape Latinos/as’ attitudes, behaviors, and college choices. Gendered familism encouragedLatinas to seek a four-year degree as a means of earning independence, whileLatinos expressed a sense of automatic autonomy that was not as strongly tied to educationaloutcomes.