The presentation discusses the (mostly impeding) impact of the traditional female role modelon the learning success of Roma and Gypsy women by focusing on the case of Marianne, a Hungarian Gypsy woman, who has come from a background of multiple deprivation but has managed a successful educational career (higher education graduation). Her educational biography can be seen as typical for Roma and Gypsy women in Hungary: She achieved her university degree at the age of 40 – with delays and breaks – mostly in evening courses in addition to family and work. The paper is based on two interview studies with Roma and Gypsy women in Hungary about their educational biography (Forray 2004 and Óhidy 2016a). The categorization of the school careers of Roma/Gypsy women in Hungary by Katalin R. Forray and András T. Hegedűs (Hegedűs 1996,Forray &Hegedűs 2003) served as the theoretical framework for both studies. Because the education for women threatens the traditional Roma/Gypsy female role model – not only because the most important role of women so far is to provide familycohesion, but also because a successful school career often means an assimilation process into the majority society culture (and giving up the traditional Roma/Gypsy minority culture as well) – an educational career for women was for a long time not considered asa necessary or desirable option. Recently, more Roma/Gypsy families have been willing to support the school career of their daughters, if they are willing to have children and don’t neglect the household. The results of the second study (Óhidy 2016) show that most families considered a school career as a chance for social advancement and they knowingly assisted their children (not only the boys but also the girls) with their further education and studies. In comparison with the former study(Forray 2004) we can assume that in these cases the role of the family in general has positively changed. Marianne – who can be seen as a typical case – questioned the traditional female role model and experienced strong identity crises because of the incompatible attitudes of the majority and minority culture. The departure from tight and constricting family relationships was very distressing. But she also experienced the freedom to decide,could develop her talents and took her life into her own hands, which altogether strengthened her self-esteem.

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