Hmong Research Paper

The lack of sexual education also contributes to young marriage and motherhood rates (Ngo & Leet-Otley, 2011). Hmong parents do not understand sexual education and do not discuss it with their children. In Meschke and Dettmer’s (2013) study on sexual health communication, Hmong daughters inferred that parents believed the talk about sexual health might encourage their daughters to be sexually active. Talking about sex is impolite and embarrassing so Hmong families do not usually have discussions on that topic. However, when they do give out information it is often wrong and exaggerated (Meschke & Dettmer, 2012).
As common as young marriages and motherhood are for Hmong women, they do disrupt the adolescence stages and life events in the young mother’s life. In a study by Vang (2009), her findings suggested that, “teenage marriage has a significant impact on the socioeconomic status of Hmong women later in life…the overall trend reflected a negative impact of teenage marriage on the lives of Hmong women in general,” (p. 1). Hence, young marriage for Hmong women can impose negative effects and consequences on their lives. Women who married before the age of 19 earned less than

Hmong women who are married have many roles in the family, but those with children have more expectations placed upon them. They are also less expected to attend college. Lee (1997) found in her study that the participants who held off college eventually returned to school because they believed it would lead to economic security. Those with supportive families had an easier time in college because they had the childcare that they needed. Those whose families were farther away or were less supportive had difficult times finding affordable daycare (Lee, 1997). Although Hmong culture is collective it is not always supportive of young mothers who are striving to achieve higher