HISPANIC WOMEN IN TEXAS - AN INCREASING PORTION OF THE UNDERCLASS

This research analyzes data from the 1980 and 1990 Current Population Survey files and attempts to determine whether human capital or cultural explanations provide a viable framework for understanding the experience of Hispanic women in Texas. The authors' results suggest that the low income and high rates of poverty experienced by these women result from structural changes in the family and in the labor market rather than from individual deficiencies (lack of ''human capital'') or any value system associated with Hispanic culture.