Women of Chinese descent living in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand were interviewed to provide educators in bilingual and multicultural education with insights that will help them to better prepare young women of ethnic minority backgrounds for adjustment to United States society. Additional descriptive data were gathered from written sources. A brief historical perspective is given in order to provide a context within which to view this description. Three approaches are used to present the data. Where possible, the present situation is compared to the past. Indigenous Southeast Asian populations are compared with more recent Chinese immigrant populations. In addition, quotations from interviews and profiles of two of the interviewed women are presented. The data and analysis indicate that in some respects Chinese women act as agents for perpetuating tradition; in other respects they act as a force for change. (Author/MK)