Hmong Families in America: Challenge and Persistence
Author(s):
Helsel, Deborah G.
Format:
Conference presentation
Publisher:
1993.
Language:
English
Abstract:
The Lao Hmong refugees who fled to the US in the wake of the Vietnam war arrived with few resources or skills suited to life in their new homeland. In their traditional Southeast Asian highland villages, the extended family household & the clan were the centers of social, political, economic, & religious life, but in the US, the centrality of the Hmong family has been challenged, as family roles & functions have been usurped by other agencies & institutions. The meanings of family for Hmong-American immigrants & the effects of these meanings on their real or intended life course are examined, based on interviews with 100 adult & adolescent Hmongs residing in Calif's central valley. Qualitative & quantitative data indicate that, although reconstructed to accommodate the demands of their new homeland, the commitment to family survival & success by its members remains intact & the sense of family is strong. However, it is suggested that steps taken now by Hmong-Americans to insure family survival, including delayed marriage & decreased levels of childbearing, may ultimately alienate the meanings & roles of family for its members.