foreign born article summary analysis

8/9/2019 Foreign Born Article Summary Analysis

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Sociological Perspectives and the Foreign-Born 1

Every 10 years the United States government implements a census to gather data on the

population of the current residents of the country. The article The Foreign-Born Population in

the United States: 2010 American Community Survey Reports employs quantitative empirical

research methods through the use of a survey to gather information on the immigrant population

of our country. The macro-sociological patterns utilized in this article present “information on

the demographic, social, economic, and housing characteristics” of any resident who was not

born in the United States. (Greico, et al 2010 p. 1) The main theoretical perspective exercised in

this article is that of conflict theory. The data collected reveals the discrepancies between those

native born and their counterparts in the struggle to attain the American Dream. The team of

researchers discovered that “The median income of foreign-born households was less than that of

native households, regardless of household type.” Additionally, Greico and her partners, (2010)

noted that, “The foreign born were less likely than the native born to have health insurance

coverage and to be covered by a private insurer.”(p.19) The racial and ethnic diversity of the

immigrant population’s participation in the race for resources demonstrates that the foreign-born

have yet to gain an equal footing with the natives.

Several famous sociologists would have been extremely interested in the data collected in

this research. Both Auguste Comte and Harriet Martineau would have approved of the objective

systematic collection of data employed in the survey, as well as the social statics and dynamics it

accumulated.(Benokraitis, 2014) Jane Adams, in particular, would have been greatly interested

in the study’s results. The results show that “Among the foreign born, those born in Latin

America were least likely to be covered by some form of health insurance (51 percent).” (Greico,

et al 2010) Additionally, “Compared with the native-born population, the foreign born were less

likely to be high school graduates.” (p.3) Combining her interest in education, health care, and


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immigration and these findings would provide further proof that continued reform in these areas

is needed for immigrants and their families.

The American Community Survey (ACS) estimates that “Over 2 of every 5 foreign born

were naturalized citizens. Sixty three percent of the foreign born who arrived between 1980 and

1989 were naturalized citizens.”(p.12) These findings were of particular interest as my husband

was not part of the norm. He emigrated from Egypt in 1987 but had not become a United States

citizen. Several months ago, he made the decision to change his status and applied for

citizenship. Three weeks ago, he passed his citizenship exam, renounced his allegiance to his

country of origin, and swore to “support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of

America…” (Naturalization Oath, 6/25/2014) He is now officially part of the 2%.

According to the ACS, “About 85 percent of the foreign-born population spoke a

language other than English at home, compared with about 10 percent of the native population.”

(Garcia, et al, 2010) Having grown up as the first native-born American in a large family of

Cuban expatriates, English was definitely not the dominant language in my town. In

predominately Hispanic Hudson county the signs on business storefronts were, more often than

not, in Spanish. English, if at all present, was an afterthought. My parents were well-educated

professionals and could read, write, and speak English. They just did not do so at home.

Conversations between my siblings and my parents would often result in an interesting mix of

Spanglish. Only after having entered high school did I discover that my life was not the norm for

the average American. My realization that not everyone spoke English and Spanish came as

something of a shock. Pew Research stated on Fact Talk,

“With more than 37 million speakers, Spanish is by far the most spoken

non-English language in the U.S. today among people ages 5 and older. It is


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also one of the fastest-growing, with the number of speakers up 233% since

1980, when there were 11 million Spanish speakers. Today, three-fourths of

all Hispanics ages 5 and older speak Spanish. (9/5/13)

If these statistics remain true, being bi-lingual in a country where the Hispanic population

continues to grow, will become very advantageous, especially in the workforce.


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References

Benokraitis, N. V. (2014). SOC3 (2014 student ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

Grieco, E., Acosta, Y., de la Cruz, G. P., & Gambino, C. (n.d.). The Foreign-Born Population in

the United States: 2010. www.census.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from

https://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/acs-19.pdf

Lopez, M. H., & Gonzalez-Barrera, A. (2013, September 5). What is the future of Spanish in the

United States?. Pew Research Center RSS . Retrieved October 2, 2014, from

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/05/what-is-the-future-of-spanish-in-the-

united-states/

Naturalization Oath. (2014, June 25). Official Website of the Department of Homeland Security.

Retrieved October 1, 2014, from http://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/naturalization-

test/naturalization-oath-allegiance-united-states-america

foreign born article summary analysis

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