Describes how Hmong refugees from Laos adapted to living in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, at the peak of resettlement between 1992 and 1993. A total of 50 interviews focused on household structure, economic and educational activity, organizational membership, health-seeking behavior, and migration history. Among the findings were that: (1) attempts were made to respect the traditional household – a patrilineal, joint extended family – while accommodating Western realities such as overcrowding; (2) the employment rate was high, but jobs ranged from women earning the highest wages as technicians for a contact lens manufacturer to middle-aged and older men receiving substandard wages in small machine shops; (3) in households in which higher education was valued, girls and boys equally pursued postsecondary education; (4) most households had converted to Christianity, possibly because Church sponsorship enabled Laotian families to get out of refugees camps and Church membership provided important links to their new community; and (5) Hmong refugees, attracted to Georgia’s mild winters and low unemployment rate, tended to stay in the area as compared to refugees in other primary settlement locations. Although Georgia ranks low in public aid, the range of economic opportunities and a growing Asian community have facilitated the Hmong’s successful adaptation. (Description from source)
