Education

Mexican immigrants are the group with the lowest level of formal education in the United States.  In 2008, 61.5 percent of Mexican immigrants 25 and older had less than a high school degree, and only 5.2 had a bachelor’s degree or higher (Brick, Challinor, and Rosenblum 8).  It is estimated that about 6 million Mexicans are illiterate, and the number of Mexicans who lack education only increases when you look at impoverished families and women (latinosinternational.org).   

When you look at Mexican immigrants in the United States, the high school graduation rates increased to a third if the Mexican immigrated to the United States between the ages of 15 to 21, increased again to 40 percent if they immigrated between the ages of 5 and 15, and then substantially increased to 78 percent if they immigrated before age 5 (Brick, Challinor, and Rosenblum 9). 

studentlabor.org

                Because of the extremely high poverty rates in Mexico, poor women and children are forced to get jobs instead of going to school.  This adds to the already high illiteracy rates, and the rates just keep increasing.  This keeps these children in the cycle of poverty, because they will never get high paying jobs if they do not have a good education, and will remain poor.  Just like most mothers of the world, Mexican mothers want the best life possible for their child.  As a mother, it is their duty to take care of the children and the house.  To some women, this means working extremely hard so they can cross the border and get their child a proper education.  The chance that their child would not have to work and could actually get a formal education in the United States is too good for some mothers to give up.  This incentive increases the desire of Mexican mothers to work hard and save up their money in hopes of one day crossing the border and getting their child a formal education.  Mexican mothers can only hope that this education will allow their child to break the cycle of poverty, and have a better life than their parents could ever dream of.  Although they have hopes and dreams, they sometimes are stuck in the poverty cycle even if they make it to the United States, because of the racism and discrimination they face here.  It is hard for them to escape poverty, and very few people actually manage to break free of the poverty cycle.