Tag Archive for: bamboo ceiling

Why Asian American Women In Business Need You To Not Be Passive

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Asian American WomenIt’s been well-documented that Asian American women in business are often the professional but too rarely the executive.

As written in Forbes, Asian American women are the demographic group most likely to have graduate degrees but least likely to hold positions within three reporting levels of the CEO or to have line or supervisory responsibilities. Asian women outnumber Asian men among associates at U.S. law firms, but Asian men are nearly twice as likely as Asian women to be promoted to partner (64% vs. 36%).

Recently, in a national outcry against anti-Asian racism, micro-assaults, commercial discrimination and hate crimes that have risen across the pandemic, culminating in the March Atlanta shootings of eight people (six of which were women of Asian descent), nearly 1000 Asian-American business leaders have pledged $10 million to support Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.

The Danger of the “Model Minority” Mythology

Asian American often women encounter a convoluted web of cultural myths that create a plateau in their career path. In one study of Asian American women who experienced discrimination, 34% reported that others assumed they were passive while 14% felt others viewed them as incapable of leadership.

The discrimination and bias faced by Asian Americans is often invalidated and made “invisible” due to being labeled as the model minority (due to having the highest educational achievements, highest median income, and one of the lowest crime rates) while actually being held back from the success of leadership and promotion. Not to mention blinding us to the reality that Asian-American women have been the hardest hit by Covid-19 job loss, with 44% out of work for six months or more.

The insidious impact of the harmful “model minority” mythology upon the Asian American community is that it’s both gaslighting and obscuring of the myriad discrimination and anti-Asian racism that very different groups of Asian American women actually face. Not only that, but it squeezes out room for the voices and diverse experiences of Asian Americans to be heard.

Aspects of the bamboo ceiling Asian American women confront include cultural ignorance and lack of ethnic discernment; the presumption of the perpetual foreigner; both imposed cultural stereotypes, as well as real cultural values and communication styles, that are at odds with Western masculine stereotypes of leadership; perceptions of hard working, discipline, intelligence and self-sacrificing that perpetuate an expectation of (quietly) carrying disproportionate quantities of work at a high performance standard; and racialized sexism/sexualized racism.

Yet when Asian American women do break prescriptive stereotypes to show assertiveness, they can be perceived as threatening and penalized in likability. Meanwhile, Hollywood has been no ally in challenging the stereotypes and simplistic tropes that Asian-American women are cast into, but rather reinforces them.

Speaking Up About Microaggressions

“In a workplace culture, racist acts usually play out as microaggressions—those small verbal or nonverbal slights, snubs, or insults. For example, being asked where you’re really from or being told that your English is really good assumes if you’re Asian, you’re foreign, and not a “real” American,” states Serena Fong, Vice President, Strategic Engagement, at Catalyst.

“Experiences of being invisible and forgotten surface through assumptions that because Asians are smart, quiet, and hardworking, they don’t experience racism at all,” Fong continues. “However, research shows that Asian Americans are the least likely group to be promoted to management positions, and Asian women hold the smallest share of total management positions in the US. Think about what’s conveyed when you say to an Asian colleague, particularly an Asian woman, you should “speak up more”, or “you’re so quiet”. Is that true or based on stereotypes?”

Microaggressions lower implicit self-esteem among Asian-Americans and induce stress, and when related to the “model minority” stereotype or perceived foreignness, are correlated with higher odds of poorer self-rated health. As part of AAPI Heritage month, the Los Angeles Times is currently polling to know strategies for countering microaggressions.

Fong advises, in her words, what not to do when you witness a microaggression:

  • Don’t act like you didn’t hear or see it. Racism is not going to go away if we ignore it. In fact, ignoring it can be seen as tacit agreement—and this failure to address it can add insult to injury.
  • Don’t make excuses. Explaining that somebody didn’t mean to be racist doesn’t make the remark or action any less hurtful or less racist. When somebody asks, “Where are you really from?” and isn’t challenged, their question reinforces stereotypes and perpetuates inaccurate information.
  • Don’t become immobilized. This happens more often than not; you witness something but are at a loss for what to say or do—and end up doing nothing.

Instead, Fong recommends:

  • Address the microaggression by responding with a non-judgmental observation or asking a thoughtful question. Doing so signals support for your colleagues and models inclusive behavior and courage to others. It may not be easy, but it’s worth it.
  • Talk to those involved. Doing so can break down stereotypes and provide comfort and support to the targets, particularly during such a scary time in the world. Check in with your colleagues to signal that you’re open to listening without putting the burden on them. If they don’t want to talk, be okay with that.

When it comes to disrupting the conscious or unconscious, not-so-small and harmful expressions of discrimination, we are all responsible. We do not need Asian American women to learn how to “speak up more.” We all need to be brave enough to speak up and out, more.

By: Aimee Hansen

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The Bamboo Ceiling Could Be Costing Business

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Woman-on-a-ladder-searchingBy Aimee Hansen

As we enter Asian-Pacific American Heritage month, we can say this about the bamboo ceiling: no matter the myriad of individual, cultural, and organizational factors holding it in place, it’s likely to be costing businesses.

As we look to Asian American women at the top of corporate leadership, Indra Nooyi, Chairperson and CEO of Pepsi Co (for a decade now), ranks #2 in Fortune’s 50 “Most Powerful Women in Business”and #15 in Forbes’“The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”.

But Nooyi is the only Asian American woman represented in the Fortune ranks and joined only by Chinese-born Weili Dai, Cofounder-President of Marvell Technology Group Ltd, at #95 in Forbes list.

Catalyst data has shown that Asian women make up only 4.4% of manager and above level positions and under 2% of executive positions in S&P 500 companies and 3.7% of board seats. If you really want to know about successful Asian American women business leadership in the U.S., you have to look at a different list.

Self-Made Women Who Grow Businesses

In May, 2015 Forbes introduced a new women in business success list – “America’s Richest Self-Made Women” – which tells a different story about Asian women at the top of successful business ventures in the U.S.

Asian American women claim nine of the 50 spaces across various industries – including #4 (Jin Sook Chang – retail), #13 (Peggy Cherng – food), #14 (Thai Lee – tech), #15 (Neerja Sethi – tech), #21 (Weili Dai – semiconductors), #29 (Jane Hsiao – biotech), #30 (Jayshree Ullal – tech), #34 (Vera Wang – fashion), and #41 (Sachiko Kuno – pharma).

Nearly one in five of the richest self-made women are Asian Americans. Thai Lee’s SHI International is the largest female-owned business in the US according to Forbes and one of the largest minority-owned businesses.

The Wall Street Journal also sums up, based on a new report from the Center for Global Policy Solutions, that minority-owned businesses were “a key driver of business and job-creation”between 2007-2011, responsible for 72.3% of new jobs. The most dramatic shifts were among female entrepreneurs – and most of all, Asian Americans.

The number of Asian American women owned businesses increased by 44% and those hiring paid employees by 37.6% during that time, and these businesses also witnessed an uncommon growth in sales.

According to the center, catalyzing the share of businesses lead by minorities to mirror the minority share of the labor force would result in 1.1 million more businesses, nine million more jobs, and $300 billion in income for workers.

The under-representation of minority female leadership, and resulting missed financial opportunity, is not limited to entrepreneurship. It’s also present with the missing Asian American leaders in corporate America.

The Employee-Executive Gap

Last year, a diversity study across five companies entitled “Hidden in Plain Sight: Asian-American Leaders in Silicon Valley”by Ascend demonstrated that, as put by The Atlantic, “Asian Americans professionals aren’t being promoted”and that showed especially true for women.

The study found that while 27% of professionals across five major tech firms were Asian American, fewer than 19% of managers and less than 14% of executives were. But for Asian American women in the sample, only 1 in 285 were an executive (versus 1 per 201 for Asian Men, 1 per 123 for white women, and and 1 per 87 for white men).

The report states, “The ‘Asian effect’ is 3.7X greater than the “gender effect”as a glass ceiling factor. The Asian effect was measured at ~154% for both men and women. The gender effect was measured at ~42% for both whites and Asians.”

According to The Atlantic, “Rather than blatant discrimination, report coauthors Denise Peck and Buck Gee (and Janet Wong) say, this disparity is a result of implicit biases. They say that Asian Americans need to learn the leadership skills that corporate America values, such as adapting public speaking skills to fit their company, while the executives themselves need to learn how to best retain and promote Asian American talent.”

The Glass Hammer has previously written about the barriers of success for Asian women facing two ceilings (glass and bamboo) that add to a greater whole – barriers such as cultural differences and culturally internalized norms, cultural stereotypes and expectations, social perception and self-perception, and the imposter syndrome.

The report authors identify “three major Asian leadership gaps: a gap in awareness and expectations, a gap in role models, and a gap in behavior”and asserts that both Asian American professionals and companies need to take steps in closing these gaps that contribute to many professionals in “most successful racial group in the United States”from being promoted to leadership roles in tech businesses.

Jane Hyun, author of Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling, speaks to the misperceptions that can come from cultural factors such as holding back to show respect, as well as the importance of self-promotion. “…I realized it’s not just about working hard, but knowing how to communicate what you’re doing, having the right mentors and sponsors, and connecting with people in a way that people understand what you’re doing and the value of what you’re trying to achieve as well.”

Closing the Bamboo Gap

Forums such as The Asian American Business Roundtable, which held its inaugural summit in January, help to address the gaps. One of the specific objectives is to increase the visibility and presence of Asian Americans in the U.S. business area, and the summit included panel discussions with women trailblazers sharing insight on their success.

Where strong cultural gaps exist, the work needs to come from both sides, but one thing is clear: If nearly 1 in 5 of the most monetarily successful self-made women (read: bosses) are Asian American, then the potential for leadership in the corporate world is greater than what is being realized, and that’s a gap that could be costing businesses more than they think.

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Do Asian-American Women Face a Glass Ceiling or a Bamboo Ceiling? Both, and More.

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We celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month 2015 by acknowledging both achievements and unique challenges for Asian-American women in climbing to top leadership roles in business.

On a global front, increasing women at the corporate helm in Asia inspired Fortune to introduce a Most Powerful Women in Asia-Pacific ranking for the first time ever in 2014. Over 1/3 of recognized leaders were new to Most Powerful Women, including Arundhati Bhattacharya (No. 4) of State Bank of India and Nishi Vasudeva (No. 5) of Hindustan Petroleum, each the first woman to lead their Fortune Global 500 companies.

Meanwhile corporate all-star Indra Nooyi, Chairperson and CEO of Pepsi Co (for the 9th year running & outlasting the CEO median tenure of 5 years), has been called one of the six most powerful business women in America and ranks #13 among Forbes’ “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women”. Yet she is the only Asian-American business women in the top 50.

48.7% of the 3,922,000 Asian women in the USA labor force in 2014 were in management/ professional occupations, comprising 3.4% of positions. 16.5% were in management, business, and financial operations occupations, holding 2.8% of those positions.

Catalyst 2015 data indicates Asian women make up 2.9% of S&P 500 Companies employees. They hold 2.5% of first/mid-level positions, 1.7% of executive/senior level positions, and .2% of CEO positions. Asian women are more likely than other minorities to be represented in executive and senior management jobs relative to their population size, but less likely than white women.

Catalyst data shows that Asian women occupied only 3.7% of S&P 500 women-held board seats in 2014, or less than 1% of total board seats. For Asian-American women, the glass ceiling and the bamboo ceiling more than overlap, especially at the top.

More than Two Ceilings

A recent paper into the barriers of success for Asian-American women by Peggy Li at University of California, Berkeley focuses on external societal obstacles to success. Asian-American women are commonly and mistakenly regarded as though a “monolithic group”, when the opposite is true – cultural backgrounds and origins are highly distinctive.

Li argues that current approaches to understanding barriers for Asian-American women are not enough. “By using a single-axis analysis where race and gender are mutually exclusive, the ‘glass ceiling’ and ‘bamboo ceiling’ exclude and delegitimize the experiences of Asian-American women.” Simply put, the glass ceiling ignores their (diverse) Asian identities and the bamboo ceiling ignores their womanhood, and neither capture the unique biases they face.

Li clarifies, “The barriers Asian-American women face are not only distinct, but also more than the sum of the discrimination faced by women and Asian-Americans.” For example, only Asian-American women face both culturally embedded stereotypes around Asian femininity as well as the subversive discrimination of the “model minority” myth. Together these two compound to project traits of passivity, submissiveness, humility, service, and compliance – and create unique barriers to career advancement.

Also when discrimination is only judged through discrete categories, the challenges for Asian-American women are overlooked by employers.

Li urges researchers and companies to take the approach of intersectionality to address societal barriers to progress. “To comprehend the experiences of Asian-American women and create appropriate strategies for counteracting their oppression, we must look at how race, gender, and national origin interact to create unique obstacles, stereotypes, and stigmas for Asian-American women.”

Social Perception Affects Self-Perception

Of course, externally created barriers can become internalized ones. Research into race and leadership perception has demonstrated that Asian-Americans are more likely to be pre-consciously perceived by others as competent leaders but not as agentic leaders on the basis of race (compared to Caucasians), and as a result they also internalize lower leadership self-perceptions and leadership aspirations in a USA context.

The research methodology focused on perception of males. As women in general are less likely to be perceived as having agentic leadership qualities such as assertiveness, dominance, and self-promotion, Asian-American women would seem to face a race bias, a gender bias, and a double-stacked racial gender bias against being perceived as “prototypical” leaders. Research implicates the real risk that internalizing these biases can impact on self-perceived leadership identity and aspirations.

Speaking to overcoming the “imposter syndrome” of being an Asian-American woman leader, CEO and Founder of Care.com Sheila Lirio Marcelo writes about breaking away from what she calls the 3 P’s internalized in her own upbringing: pleasing, passivity, and perfection – which comes down to being self-aware, finding your voice, and embracing and owning your leadership journey.

The unique challenges facing Asian-American women underline the need for high visibility among existing leaders in order to inspire and empower other Asian-American women to follow suit as well as to continue to challenge unconscious biases around race, gender, and leadership.

A Seat at the Head of the Table

When CAUSE, the Center for Asian-Americans United for Self Empowerment, brought together a panel of prominent female Asian-American executives for a Women In Power Quarterly Luncheon centered on “Leadership in the Boardroom” in 2014, the message was clear.

Cyndie M. Chang, Managing Director of Los Angeles Office Duane Morris L.L.P., stated “What I want to do (in monitoring this panel) is to have an insightful discussion in the challenges, not just of getting a seat at the table, but getting a seat at the head of the table.”

Indeed, in the Fortune 500, “women of color” (Asian, black, or Latina) represent only 3.1% of board seats but only 2.8% of board directors, because a small number of minority women sit on multiple boards, and are twice as likely as white women to do so.

The discussion spanned inspiring advice on getting ahead of the curve within your industry, managing feedback, being willing to fail, the importance of sponsorship, and leveraging strength and humor as an outlier. Linda Greigo, Board Member of both CBS and AECOM Technology, said, “The big challenge for me is once you get in the door, how do you keep the door open for others to follow?”

Standing up despite racial gender stereotypes. Stepping out from behind socially projected traits.

Speaking out despite culturally internalized norms. That’s just some of the stuff Asian-American women executives are made of and frankly put, it’s the stuff leadership is made of.

By Aimee Hansen

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