TITLE:  GENERATIONAL POSITIONS ON WOMEN BEING EDUCATED:

AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY TO UNDERSTAND CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS WITHIN THE HMONG COMMUNITY

ABSTRACT: This autoethnography explores how gendered cultural expectations shaped the educational experiences of Hmong women across generations in my family. Drawing on my personal experiences, family stories, and reflective analysis, I examine how Hmong cultural beliefs surrounding labor, caregiving, and womanhood influenced the educational opportunities available to the women in my family. While education has been understood within many Hmong families as the pathway to social mobility and success, access to this pathway has not been equal between genders. For my grandma and my mom, gendered domestic responsibilities limited their opportunities to pursue formal schooling. On the other hand, my educational journey reflects the continued influence of cultural expectations and the shifts that occur when women resist, negotiate, and reinterpret their roles. By comparing my experience with those of my close friend and reflecting on the attitude of the younger girls in my family, I show how Hmong girls and women continue to navigate the tension between self-advancement and responsibility to family. This work highlights how cultural norms are continued and challenged within families as well as demonstrates how change happens not all at once, but through small acts of negotiation, sacrifice, and agency. This autoethnography emphasizes the importance of recognizing the emotional and cultural turmoil embedded in educational achievement for Hmong women. It aims to show educators the big role they play or can play in helping Hmong women navigate through their personal turmoil in choosing between being progressive while still respecting their cultural norms.

COMPLETED:  December 2025