Mexican Americans: Difference between revisions

==Social status and assimilation==

{{See also|Tex-Mex|Mexican cuisine in the United States}}

There have been increases in average personal and household incomes for Mexican Americans in the 21st century. US-born Americans of Mexican heritage earn more and are represented more in the middle and upper-class segments more than most recently arriving Mexican immigrants.

 

Most immigrants from Mexico, as elsewhere, come from the lower classes and from families generationally employed in lower skilled jobs. They also are most likely from rural areas. Thus, many new Mexican immigrants are not skilled in white collar professions. Recently, some professionals from Mexico have been migrating, but to make the transition from one country to another involves re-training and re-adjusting to conform to US laws —i.e. professional licensing is required.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Salgado|first1=Casandra D.|last2=Ortiz|first2=Vilma|date=2019-05-03|title=Mexican Americans and wealth: economic status, family and place|journal=Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies|volume=46|issue=18|pages=3855–3873|doi=10.1080/1369183X.2019.1592878|s2cid=155153400|issn=1369-183X}}</ref> Millions crossed into the United States to find work that would help them survive as well as sustain their families in Mexico.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Minian |first=Ana Raquel |title=Undocumented Lives |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2018 |pages=76 |language=English}}</ref> However now, Mexican Americans, primarily those who are bilingual are being used by firms to attract immigrant clientele. More value is being placed on Mexican Americans because they possess the ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking clients, thus expanding the customer range of companies.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jiménez |first=Tomás R. |date=September 2007 |title=Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Mexican Immigration: The Mexican-American Perspective |url=https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2007.00474.x |journal=Social Science Quarterly |volume=88 |issue=3 |pages=599–618 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-6237.2007.00474.x |s2cid=8854023 |via=Business Source Complete}}</ref>