Gender Inequality in the Hmong Community
As the first wave of the Hmong immigrated to the United States in 1975, Hmong men and women came aware of the opportunities that would be given to them, along with a new life. However, not only did those opportunities apply to men but women as well. Before, opportunities such as going to school and choosing a path for oneself was only something given to the men, as the elders believed that they would come back to help the community. The daughters were given no chance at education as their job was to be at home to take care of the children, cook for the family, and maintain the house. Once the Hmong came to the United States they began to realized that the daughters are equally given the same opportunities as the sons but overall, still chose the sons over the daughters.
The community issue that I will be diving into is the subject on Hmong gender inequality. The reason why I am interested in this topic is because it affects Hmong men and women greatly as they are born into fixed roles in which creates an impact for those individuals. This issue not only affects the individual but it maintains a social structure for the generations to come. This is an important topic due to the fact that because there are fixed roles for Hmong families, it hard for the Hmong community to accept change and fairness between the two genders- assimilating into American culture.
The community issue that I will be diving into is the subject on Hmong gender inequality. The reason why I am interested in this topic is because it affects Hmong men and women greatly as they are born into fixed roles in which creates an impact for those individuals. This issue not only affects the individual but it maintains a social structure for the generations to come. This is an important topic due to the fact that because there are fixed roles for Hmong families, it hard for the Hmong community to accept change and fairness between the two genders- assimilating into American culture.
Community Issue
As the first wave of the Hmong immigrated to the United States in 1975, Hmong men and women became aware of the opportunities that would be given to them, along with a new life. However, not only did those opportunities apply to men but women as well. Before, opportunities such as going to school and choosing a path for oneself was only something given to the men, as the elders believed that they would come back to help the Hmong community. The daughters were given no chance at education as their job was to be at home to take care of the children, cook for the family, and maintain the house. Once more Hmong came to the United States they began to realize that the daughters were equally given the same opportunities as the sons but overall, still chose the sons over the daughters.
The community issue that I will be diving into is the subject on Hmong gender inequality. The reason why I am interested in this topic is because it affects Hmong men and women greatly as they are born into fixed roles in which creates an impact for those individuals in the United States. This issue not only affects the individual but it maintains a social structure for the generations to come. This is an important topic due to the fact that because there are fixed roles for Hmong families, it is particularly hard for the Hmong community to accept change and fairness between the two genders, encountering hardships and clashing between assimilating into American culture and following the rules of the Hmong patriarchal System.
The smaller components of this problem are the fixed roles of the Hmong community (the Burial of the Placenta religious/traditional practices), expectations of the Hmong community, the patriarchal clan system, marriage, domestic abuse, and men/women in higher education.
The role of men and women in the Hmong community is a fixed role, in which is rooted in the culture itself and strictly cannot be changed unless otherwise. The Burial of the Placenta, for instance, is a Hmong traditional practice that has been carried on for hundreds of years in the villages of Laos. This traditional practice is important because it defines the roles of the male and female (Hmong Traditional Martial Roles and the Pursuit of Higher Education 17). After the birth of a baby, the placenta is examined and buried depending on the gender. If the placenta is of a boy then it would be buried by the house's central post to symbolize support for the family's linage once he has matured and married. If the placenta is of a girl, it would be buried beneath the parent's bed to represent reproduction and domestic chores as she learns to become a daughter, daughter-in-law, and a wife. In addition, the Burial of the Placenta greatly relates to the traditional practice of the dead, where the spirit of a deceased individual is guided by the sounds of drums and Qeej (traditional large flute) to their place of birth and buried placenta in order to reach heaven and reincarnate. The Burial of the Placenta is not practiced in the United States as Hmong have their children in hospitals- which the placentas are thrown away; however, the meanings are still in play within the culture.
In Laos and Thailand, the Hmong follow a patriarchal clan system, which consists of elderly wise men chosen by those of their clan to represent them. The clan system consisted of 18 clans: Yang, Vang, Khang, Xiong, Thao, Her/Heu, Lo/Lor, Hang, Chang, Cheng, Lee/Ly, Vue, Kong, Moua, Fang, Pha, Kue, and Chue. Following with the patriarchal system, women were not to interfere with the men and their decision for each clan. Women were seen below their husbands and only to follow the rules that were given out. The Hmong expected their daughters, wives and daughter-in-laws to be mute, obedient, and listen to the parents, elders, or clan leaders. In addition they were made accountable for all chores in the house including washing the dishes, taking care of children, cooking, and etc. The boys and men were expected to go to school to pursue higher education in hope of eventually coming back to help the Hmong, especially in the clans which they belonged to. Hmong men in Laos who went to school were considered educated and worthy to the community due to knowledge and hope. Moreover, the men were expected to take charge and work to feed their families in addition to learning the rules, traditions, and rituals of the Hmong.
Once the Hmong came to the United States, women were given the same opportunities as men and soon problems in the community arise. Since the Hmong had so much power over their daughters, going to school made it hard for parents to trust them because parents were scared of their daughters falling under the influence by doing things that were seen as normal for Americans such as: hanging out with friends and talking with boys. As hard as it seemed for parents assimilating into the American culture and accepting the new lifestyle, the kids took it harder as the expectations of being a ‘good’ son and daughter interfered with their education. The definition of a ‘good’ son and daughter is of the traits that were previously given- boys go to school and girls do all the housework. After coming home after a long day at school, the girls are still expected to cook, clean, and take care of everything in the home regardless of the work from school; while the boys are free to do whatever they please as long as they do their school work. Boys were encouraged to go to school and daughters, instead, were encouraged to get married.
The struggle in marriage begins to unfold as women and men have fixed roles in which they are bounded by and cannot escape since it is rooted in the process of the Hmong marriage ceremony. Coming to the United States gave an opportunity for Women to reach higher level of education, to maintain independence and avoid male dominance. However, when it comes to family wise and marriage, the ideal of male dominance in the culture occurs yet again. The marriage ceremony is a great example of that, in which the man's side of the family presents dowries to the woman's family to marry her. The majority of Hmong still see this as an issue because they believe that the man is buying the woman in marriage. This often leads to mistreatment later in the marriage, along with domestic abuse and polygamy within the Hmong community. Along the same lines of domestic abuse Leaky Roof, a film by Sacramento State graduate Porsha Chang, depicts the domestic abuse in a Hmong family under the narrative of a young boy. This video captures the significance of the roles played by men, women, and family when it comes to domestic abuse and divorce.
The community issue that I will be diving into is the subject on Hmong gender inequality. The reason why I am interested in this topic is because it affects Hmong men and women greatly as they are born into fixed roles in which creates an impact for those individuals in the United States. This issue not only affects the individual but it maintains a social structure for the generations to come. This is an important topic due to the fact that because there are fixed roles for Hmong families, it is particularly hard for the Hmong community to accept change and fairness between the two genders, encountering hardships and clashing between assimilating into American culture and following the rules of the Hmong patriarchal System.
The smaller components of this problem are the fixed roles of the Hmong community (the Burial of the Placenta religious/traditional practices), expectations of the Hmong community, the patriarchal clan system, marriage, domestic abuse, and men/women in higher education.
The role of men and women in the Hmong community is a fixed role, in which is rooted in the culture itself and strictly cannot be changed unless otherwise. The Burial of the Placenta, for instance, is a Hmong traditional practice that has been carried on for hundreds of years in the villages of Laos. This traditional practice is important because it defines the roles of the male and female (Hmong Traditional Martial Roles and the Pursuit of Higher Education 17). After the birth of a baby, the placenta is examined and buried depending on the gender. If the placenta is of a boy then it would be buried by the house's central post to symbolize support for the family's linage once he has matured and married. If the placenta is of a girl, it would be buried beneath the parent's bed to represent reproduction and domestic chores as she learns to become a daughter, daughter-in-law, and a wife. In addition, the Burial of the Placenta greatly relates to the traditional practice of the dead, where the spirit of a deceased individual is guided by the sounds of drums and Qeej (traditional large flute) to their place of birth and buried placenta in order to reach heaven and reincarnate. The Burial of the Placenta is not practiced in the United States as Hmong have their children in hospitals- which the placentas are thrown away; however, the meanings are still in play within the culture.
In Laos and Thailand, the Hmong follow a patriarchal clan system, which consists of elderly wise men chosen by those of their clan to represent them. The clan system consisted of 18 clans: Yang, Vang, Khang, Xiong, Thao, Her/Heu, Lo/Lor, Hang, Chang, Cheng, Lee/Ly, Vue, Kong, Moua, Fang, Pha, Kue, and Chue. Following with the patriarchal system, women were not to interfere with the men and their decision for each clan. Women were seen below their husbands and only to follow the rules that were given out. The Hmong expected their daughters, wives and daughter-in-laws to be mute, obedient, and listen to the parents, elders, or clan leaders. In addition they were made accountable for all chores in the house including washing the dishes, taking care of children, cooking, and etc. The boys and men were expected to go to school to pursue higher education in hope of eventually coming back to help the Hmong, especially in the clans which they belonged to. Hmong men in Laos who went to school were considered educated and worthy to the community due to knowledge and hope. Moreover, the men were expected to take charge and work to feed their families in addition to learning the rules, traditions, and rituals of the Hmong.
Once the Hmong came to the United States, women were given the same opportunities as men and soon problems in the community arise. Since the Hmong had so much power over their daughters, going to school made it hard for parents to trust them because parents were scared of their daughters falling under the influence by doing things that were seen as normal for Americans such as: hanging out with friends and talking with boys. As hard as it seemed for parents assimilating into the American culture and accepting the new lifestyle, the kids took it harder as the expectations of being a ‘good’ son and daughter interfered with their education. The definition of a ‘good’ son and daughter is of the traits that were previously given- boys go to school and girls do all the housework. After coming home after a long day at school, the girls are still expected to cook, clean, and take care of everything in the home regardless of the work from school; while the boys are free to do whatever they please as long as they do their school work. Boys were encouraged to go to school and daughters, instead, were encouraged to get married.
The struggle in marriage begins to unfold as women and men have fixed roles in which they are bounded by and cannot escape since it is rooted in the process of the Hmong marriage ceremony. Coming to the United States gave an opportunity for Women to reach higher level of education, to maintain independence and avoid male dominance. However, when it comes to family wise and marriage, the ideal of male dominance in the culture occurs yet again. The marriage ceremony is a great example of that, in which the man's side of the family presents dowries to the woman's family to marry her. The majority of Hmong still see this as an issue because they believe that the man is buying the woman in marriage. This often leads to mistreatment later in the marriage, along with domestic abuse and polygamy within the Hmong community. Along the same lines of domestic abuse Leaky Roof, a film by Sacramento State graduate Porsha Chang, depicts the domestic abuse in a Hmong family under the narrative of a young boy. This video captures the significance of the roles played by men, women, and family when it comes to domestic abuse and divorce.