Hispanic Parent-Child Relationships.

Parent-child relationships are a unique element of the Hispanic family. The relationship between Hispanic parents and their children exemplifies a dynamic union that embodies love, affection, and unity. One thing that is apparent in the Hispanic community is that family comes first when making important decisions. In a survey conducted by State Farm Insurance, Hispanics placed a high priority on saving money for their children’s college education. Although this appears to contradict the concept of fatalism, Hispanic Americans are becoming more accustomed to American society’s way of thinking. Hispanic parents care for the well-being of their children and in particular, Hispanic mothers try their hardest to be the best caretaker for their children because they don’t want to have that guilt of not providing their children with the best.

Cultural Insights

On a recent documentary on MTV’s “True Life”, SuChin Pak, MTV news correspondent , did a piece on the life of a college student here in the United States whose parents were immigrants from Mexico. This documentary illustrated the difficulties that many children of immigrants face in balancing their school life and family life. In the documentary, it was evident that the family was very important in that the college student had to sacrifice her school work to help out around the house and even plan her little sister’s quinceanera. She stated that children must obey their parents and that is why she never objected to her father’s demands when it came to helping out around the house. Her parents wanted the best for her but their main concern was that she be there for the family.

Perceptions of Hispanic parent-child relationships appear to be constant across the many sub-groups that make up the Hispanic population. A former co-worker of mine who is Ecuadorian/Puerto Rican stated that the Hispanic parent-child relationship within their family is very close and usually the child stays home until he or she gets married. She also stated that the mother takes care of home and that one of her main concerns is that the children always have something to eat. Another Hispanic co-worker stated that adults are always addressed by saying bendición which means “blessing”. She stated that this is prevalent within the Puerto Rican community and that this is a sign of showing respect. She described the roles of the mother as a caretaker, taxi, wife, nurse, teacher, dishwasher, and coach. The father is the main source of income. He is the Mr. fix-it guy as well as a disciplinarian, teacher, male role model, and also the peacemaker when it comes to the mother versus the children.

A college student of Honduran descent stated that a prominent characteristic between parent-child relationships are discipline, affection, and attachment. She stated that Hispanic parent-child relationships are very close net, open, and they are comfortable with one another. For instance, most Hispanic parents do not like their children to lock their room doors and be so private and isolated from the rest of the family. Her role as a child at home was to keep up with her room and assist her mother in the cleaning when time permitted. She also was responsible for watching her three younger sisters when they were young and when both of her parents were out of the house.

Marketing Implications

There are many implications for marketers that could be sought from parent-child relationships. Food is a major part of the Hispanic culture. Based upon the insights from Hispanic individuals, food products from Hispanic countries are extremely difficult to find, especially depending on the location. Families would have to drive a long way to find any food products that are from their country of origin that the United States does not produce. If there were more Hispanic food stores, it would definitely appeal to more Hispanics and make it easier for many Hispanics to provide their family with good food from their country of origin. Hispanic families already spend more on food than the overall population to ensure that their family is well-fed.

There also appears to be an upward trend in the acceptance of working Hispanic mothers according to the Yankelovich Hispanic Monitor. “Hispanic women are being called upon to not only raise and nurture families but also to support them in other ways. Eighty-five percent of Hispanics agree that women have as much responsibility to support a family as men do, which implies that acceptance of working mothers is on the rise.” The marketing implication here would be to market easy-to-use products for Hispanic children to help their working parents out around the house. Products such as easy to operate household appliances would be very beneficial. Also marketers should market these products in a way to assure the working mothers that it is okay for them to work and raise a family and this should eliminate some of the guilt that could be associated with them working out of the house.

Kiswana Russell
kc*****@*su.edu

References

1. Korzenny, F., & Korzenny, Betty A. (2005) “Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective” Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.
2. “Food Purchasing Trends Hold Some Surprises.” (2005). HispanicAd. www.hispanicad.com
3. “Nestlè’s Stouffer’s Reaching Out to Hispanic Women.” (2002). HispanicAd. www.hispanicad.com
4. “Hispanics Focused on Building Wealth for Families.” (2002). HispanicAd. www.hispanicad.com