Traditionally, men and women with the same clan names were not allowed to marry. Each clan designates an elder male as its leader. Usually this is a person that is viewed as the most righteous or fair. These men were the decision-makers within a clan. Hmong families are strongly patrilinear, tracing a family's history through the father's side.
Elders are respected and command authority.
Families are often multi- generational, with married couples living in the home of the man's parents. Children are expected to care for their parents, even in old age or ill health. Through education and acculturation all but the last of these practices are dying out in U.S. Hmong communities. The Hmong way of life emphasizes the importance of group well-being over individual need. This is opposite to the American emphasis on the individual and individual decision-making.