Discusses how Vietnamese women made the transition from a traditional culture to a modern society and helped their families adjust to life in the United States. Conflicts arose within refugee families because of shifting gender roles and generational problems: women found employment and, thus, greater freedom, and children experienced greater independence. Families benefited from the income earned by the women, but traditional roles were disrupted; men felt a loss of status, which sometimes led to self-destructive, antisocial, or violent behavior. Parents, too, lost authority over their children, who were rapidly absorbing American culture. To minimize these tensions and restore harmony, women gave up some of their personal gains. The compromise enabled families to take advantage of certain aspects of American culture while preserving cooperation, highly valued within the Vietnamese family. The bargain was that women deferred to men’s authority while retaining some of their newly won freedom. For instance, women joined together in informal social networks that would intervene in family problems. Women also helped families mediate differences between the two cultures, which ultimately contributed to the academic success of their children. The women’s flexibility is credited with stabilizing families as they balanced life between 2 cultures. (Description from resource)
