Early Marriage in the Hmong Community: Beyond a Cultural Explanation
Author(s):
Vang, Zoua
Format:
Conference presentation
Publisher:
2000.
Language:
English
Abstract:
The practice of early marriage in the Hmong community has been characterized & widely accepted as a cultural expression. Moreover, it is often viewed as a practice that is imposed on Hmong youth by their more traditional parents. Hence, the existing literature resonates themes & scenarios that depict a very skewed picture of Hmong early marriage. In this paper, I propose that early wedlock in the US serves a different function for the Hmong than it did in their home country. Rather than a mere transference of a cultural tradition, the continued practice of early marriage reflects the community's need to cope with many of the problems encountered in the US. Results from both quantitative & qualitative data from 39 households residing in the St. Paul, MN, metropolitan area suggest that structural inequalities limit the resources available to Hmong families for dealing with problems of normative parent-child conflicts, increased juvenile delinquency, & school disengagement. Given these emerging problems & the accessibility of marriage in the Hmong community, early wedlock is often perceived by both parents & youth as a rational & attractive alternative solution.