As you may already know from your in-laws, the Hmong men carry the clan name. A woman doesn't. So, a woman cannot represent a clan. She has two with her, of course: her biological clan and her husband's clan. But her father or brother represents her biological clan; her husband or his father represent her husband's clan. She's really aced out.
That's the traditional way. Today, I think women should be able to be on the Council and represent a particular clan. Just a matter of respect for all three genders--male, female, and gay.
Which clan will the woman represent? Her husband's? Certainly not. What happens if she divorces? Her father's clan? Certainly not, if she is married into another clan.
You guys and gals blow this 18 Xeem out of proportion. That's the real problem right there. By accusing them to have political agenda, many of you do the same thing by trying to put your own cause into it (like pulling the gender disparity card). 18 Xeem is nothing more than a collection of representative
s from the recognized clans. They establish standards across the board so that in the event cases escalate to the American court system, the non-Hmong legal system has something to go by in their rulings. Since it's expected that each Hmong person is going to have their own version (normally the one that plays to his/her advantage), the American courts need somewhat of a guidebook for lack of a better term.