The "good" news and the "bad" news: The "Americanization" of Hmong girls
Author(s):
Lee, Stacey J.
Editor(s):
Leadbeater, Bonnie J. Ross; Way, Niobe
Format:
Book section
Publisher:
New York University Press, New York, NY, 2007.
Language:
English
Abstract:
As in other immigrant and refugee communities, the landscape of gender is being transformed within Hmong families in communities across the United States. Hmong American adolescent girls are exploring new gendered opportunities in the United States and challenging what they believe to be the gender inequality in the Hmong culture. They are taking the lead in revising gender norms and roles within their families and their communities. Hmong adolescent girls believe that Asian women in the United States have greater individual opportunities than in their native countries. They perceive American culture as offering personal freedom and unequaled educational opportunities for girls and women, and they assume that American girls and women enjoy gender equality. Not insignificantly, they believe that the adoption of mainstream American gender norms will lead to progressive changes within the Hmong American community. In this chapter, I examine the ways Hmong American adolescent girls are negotiating new gender norms and roles in the United States, a process the girls refer to as Americanization. I pay particular attention to ways the girls' perceptions of gendered opportunities in the United States shape their aspirations and their creation of new gender norms. I consider whether life in the United States and the process of Americanization have indeed led to progressive change and greater empowerment for Hmong girls and women. My focus is on three areas where Hmong American girls and women are altering gender roles and patterns: (a) educational aspirations; (b) marriage, sexuality, and family relationships; and (c) ideals about beauty. Data for this chapter were collected as part of a larger ethnographic study on the way race, class, and gender inform the process of "becoming American" for Hmong high school students (Lee, 2001a-b, 2005). Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted at a public school in Wisconsin. In addition to the data from ethnographic fieldwork, this chapter also draws data from Hmong Internet sites and from works of fiction by Hmong American women. As in other immigrant communities, the transformation of gender norms is not simply a straightforward linear process. Hmong girls and women have successfully struggled for greater gender equality within their communities, but they have also faced some resistance to change. In the realm of education, Hmong girls and women have made significant gains in gender equality. As is the case in other immigrant communities, gender arrangements within families are being transformed and maintained (López, 2003; Louie, 2004). With regard to marriage, it appears that the Hmong American community is increasingly encouraging girls to complete high school before marriage. While much of the gender transformation has led to greater empowerment and gender equality for Hmong girls and women, not all change is progressive. The internalization of dominant beauty standards is one aspect of Americanization that leads to greater oppression of girls and women. Studies suggest that Asian American girls and women are increasingly vulnerable to dominant White beauty standards (Hall, 1995; Kaw, 1998). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: create)