Although there are many issues in society today concerning Asian Americans, a prominent issue is the discrimination towards Asian Americans in the workplace. This issue is significant because it heavily affects Asian Americans’ daily lives and their ability to achieve greater success. As seen in history, Asians have been discriminated against from when they immigrated here for new opportunities and jobs. In their jobs, they were often paid less than the whites and were constantly put at a disadvantage at work. Although working conditions have improved and certain discriminatory actions have been stopped, discrimination towards Asian Americans in the workforce still exists. The struggles with discrimination in the workplace for Asians today such as dealing with stereotypes, being considered inferior and incapable, having unequal pay, and struggling to advance all originates from history when Asians came to the U.S.
Asian Americans are often held back by stereotypes and prevented from advancing in work. In Confronting Asian-American Stereotypes, an article written by the New York Times, it is said that “…stereotypes of Asians as technically competent, diligent and quiet continue to hold sway after college, and this makes Asians less likely to be promoted into management and leadership positions”(Hassan). This reveals how the stereotype that Asians are competent and quiet has an effect on their advancement in work. The stereotypical view that Asians are quiet and submissive shows others’ disrespect and disregard for Asian-Americans who work tirelessly to improve. This connects to the history of the California Gold rush which attracted millions of Chinese immigrants to America in hopes of finding their own wealth and improve their life as mentionned in the Commentary on 1849.
“Victims of racial discrimination, the Chinese are often restricted to working the least productive mines and to performing tasks such as cooking and washing clothes”(Commentary on 1849). This quote shows how along with the difficulties of immigrating and adapting to America, Chinese immigrants also faced harsh discrimination towards their ethnicity. This discrimination originated from when the Chinese immigrated to America and affected them negativily as shown in the quote where they are being put at a disadvantage whether it was from working in domestic labor or being put at the least favorable jobs. These stereotypes from the modern era connects with the past as Asian-Americans are still being put at a disadvantage in work and not being promoted to higher levels of jobs and in return not able to raise their social status as much as their cauasian counterparts.
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Asian Americans are often believed to be incapable of advancing without the help of others. In Racism Commited in the Name of Diversity, author Ying Ma had a first hand experience in which Asians in the company would be patronized by their higher ups. “But the diversity mindset and rationale is so insidious that it has convinced minorities who are both victims and supposed beneficiaries that they cannot get ahead without special preferences or coddling”(Ma).
This shows that Asians in the workplace today are often thought to be unable to carry out tasks without the help of others and as a result, they are unable to be promoted and show their capabilities. What connects the thought that Asians are incapable of carrying out certain tasks is that when Asians initially immigrated to the U.S., they were all of a lower status in society and were forced to take up the lowest labor jobs to make a living. In Employment Discrimination Faced by Chinese and Japanese Americans, the Chinese started their own businesses due to difficulties joining the labor market while the Japanese went the self-employment route by starting their own farms.
However, even with trying their best to seek other forms of employment as Anti-Asian sentiment was rising, the American government had little tolerance for Asian-Americans. “A series of alien land laws were passed to prohibit the ownership or leasing of land to Asians in California and in other states (Chan 1991), thereby increasing the likelihood of Asians to dwell in urban communities”(Employment Discrimination Faced by Chinese and Japanese Americans). From this implementation of alien land laws, the belief that Asians should stay at lower occupation jobs compared to cauasians is further enforced. The belief that Asians need others’ help in the workforce originates from how they always end up in lower class jobs due to their opportunities being taken away from them.
Asian Americans are considered inferior due to the belief that they lack the skills needed to be successful in a work environment. In Workplace Discrimination, Asian Americans are faced with stereotypes and unconcious biases in employment that impede their ability to succeed. “…In its report entitled Civil Rights Issues Facing Asian Americans in the 1990s, found that Asian Americans are unfairly stereotyped as being ‘unaggressive, having poor communication skills and limited English proficiency, and being too technical to become managers’”(Workplace Discrimination). This shows how the unconcious bias that Asian immigrants today have issues with speaking English or limited skills still exists. These biases and stereotypes lead Asian American workers to not be promoted compared to their white counterparts.
In Identity, Multiple: Asian-Americans, Laura Uba mentions the fear of Asian power and dominance in the world involved with the Yellow Peril which we learned in class. “Gradually, though, suspicion and fear of the racial ‘Other’ and differences in the power and foreign policy of Asian countries spurred exogenous efforts to make ethnic-specific distinctions, often mirroring differences in the immigrants’ nationality”(Uba). This shows that the discrimination with the lack of English skills and ability to work skillfully originated from back in history when Asian power could possibly dominate America’s power. This fear sparked the need to segregate Asian minorities from the rest of society and keep them out of opportunities for power.
Asian Americans struggle with the unequal pay today which relates to the history of unequal pay in the U.S. for Asians. In Settlement in bias case could unravel, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory paid $1.2 million as settlement for a lawsuit by its employees for discrimination against Asian American Employees. “The lawsuit, filed in 2001, alleges unfair treatment and inequalities in salary and promotion based on race”(Bhattacharjee). This shows how Asian American workers are discriminated against at work and are often paid less than their co-workers who are of different ethnicities. This also shows society’s ignorance towards the topic of Asian Discrimination, as the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory simply paid out a cash settlement and didn’t acknowledge that discrimination existed in its workforce. Instead of apologizing and correcting the discrimination in their work system, they chose to settle with a payment instead which can be seen as a positive thing.
However, it can also be seen as something degrading to Asian Americans as the payment is used to keep their voices and opinions shut. In 150 Years Ago, Chinese Railroad Workers Staged the Era’s Largest Labor Strike, it is brought up that Chinese Workers during the Gold Rush made less profit compared to their caucasian counterparts. “The Chinese had seen a pay increase from $31 to $35 per month by Spring 1867, but it fell short of the $40 monthly salaries whites were pulling in, Obenzinger said.”(Fuchs). This connects to the second paragraph where the Chinese are often put to the most disadvantageous jobs, leading to them receiving fewer pay as a result. This reveals the origin of why Asian Americans recieve less pay, as over time the combination of beliefs such as stereotypes and being incapable lead to discrimination towards them in the work force. This then ultimately leads them to have less pay then others. These beliefs are passed down from generation to generation which leads Asian Americans to continue today to recieve less pay as their caucasian counterparts will always be above them.
As shown in history reflected upon today, discrimination against Asian Americans in the work force is still prominent today in society. Although these past beliefs led Asian Americans today to be at a disadvantage in the workforce today, there is still hope for change as long as people start acknowledging that it exists and start to take action against it. For example, removing people from managerial positions who show signs of discrimination could be one solution in preventing the mistreatment of Asian American workers. Stereotypes against Asian Americans can be broken as long as past beliefs in America are changed. Similarily, the belief that is passed down from generations that Asians are considered inferior or incapable can be forgotten as people learn to be tolerant and accepting of others’ differences. As all things have a start and an end, what started when Asians immigrated here to the U.S. trying to search for employment must have an end today or sometime in the future.
References
- Commentary on 1849. (1999). In American Journey. The Immigrant Experience. Woodbridge, CT: Primary Source Media. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2154000497/SUIC?u=san00962&sid=SUIC&xid=dc96b5be
- Bhattacharjee, Y. (2005). Settlement in bias case could unravel. Science, 308(5719), 177. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A131905411/SUIC?u=san00962&sid=SUIC&xid=d24742fe
- Datz, T. (2017, December 4). Poll finds that at least one quarter of Asian Americans report being personally discriminated against in the workplace and housing. Retrieved October 3, 2018, from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/poll-asian-americans-discrimination/
- Employment Discrimination Faced by Chinese and Japanese Americans. (2003). In DISCovering Multicultural America: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans. Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2116235763/SUIC?u=san00962&sid=SUIC&xid=566143da
- Fuchs, C. (2017, June 21). 150 Years Ago, Chinese Railroad Workers Staged the Era’s Largest Labor Strike. Retrieved November 11, 2018, from NBC News website: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/150-years-ago-chinese-railroad-workers-staged-era-s-largest-n774901
- Hassan, A. (n.d.). Confronting Asian-American Stereotypes. The New York Times.
- Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/23/us/confronting-asian-american-stereotypes.html
- Ma, Y. (2018, July 23). Racism commited in the name of diversity. Washington Examiner. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/racism-committed-in-the-name-of-diversity
- Uba, L. (2005). Identity, Multiple: Asian-Americans. In M. C. Horowitz (Ed.), New Dictionary of the History of Ideas (Vol. 3, pp. 1094-1097). Detroit: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3424300374/SUIC?u=san00962&sid=SUIC&xid=d704e356
- Workplace Discrimination. (2003). In DISCovering Multicultural America: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans. Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2116236014/SUIC?u=san00962&sid=SUIC&xid=ba74564e
