Are Hispanic Family Values a Myth?
Nearly half of the children born to Hispanic mothers in the U.S. are born out of wedlock, a proportion that has been increasing rapidly with no signs of slowing down. Given what psychologists and sociologists now know about the much higher likelihood of social pathology among those who grow up in single-mother households, the Hispanic baby boom is certain to produce more juvenile delinquents, more school failure, more welfare use, and more teen pregnancy in the future. And so began an essay titled “Hispanic Family Values?” by Heather MacDonald, a fellow at the think tank, Manhattan Institute, and contributing editor to City Journal. Heather MacDonald MacDonald’s essay, at its worst, is alarmist, in that she presents her case for the breakdown of Hispanic family values with data that definitely portrays Latinos in a negative light. Forty-five percent of all Hispanic births occur outside of marriage, compared with 24 percent of white births and 15 percent of Asian births. Only the percen
