Asian Discrimination In America

Ever since the early 1800s, immigration has been a huge factor in America’s growth. Yet when Asians first started to immigrate in the late 1800s, the “yellow peril” occurred, where

Caucasians perceived Asians as a threat to their socioeconomic standings by offering to work harder for less. The US government responded by limiting and eventually banning Asian immigration, specifically the Chinese. It was half a century afterward that Asians were once again allowed to immigrate and become American citizens. Since then, an image of being quiet, industrious workers has formed around the Asian community. Asians were even used as examples of what other minorities could become if “they worked hard enough.” It seems as if Asians have achieved what

The common consensus is that Asians do not feel the burden of discrimination, as they are too successful to be discriminated against. However recent studies proved this false by linking being of Asian descent to job acquisition and advancement. If this is true, then a whole sector of discrimination has been ignored for the past century. Asian stereotypes affect all levels of a career, including hiring, professional work, and managerial positions.

Asians enjoy privileges few other minorities have, such as a higher percentage of college graduates. However, due to the success of Asians, stereotypes have formed around the perception of “the model minority”, mainly that Asians are found to be competent, cold, and non-dominant

(Berdahl & Min, 2012). With any stereotype, there is room for misunderstandings and discrimination, and this is no exception. One of the most common forms of discrimination is in career acquisition. If an employer has a negative view of potential candidates, this creates a skew in the rate at which races might be hired for certain jobs. Lai & Linda attempted to study this as applied to Asians, since Asians are stereotyped as cold and unsocial, they might be passed over

However, Asians are viewed as more cold and unfriendly, and theoretically more prone to segregation from the rest of the work force. A study (Berdahl & Min, 2012) was conducted to determine the effect of stereotypes on

Asians in the workplace and what happens when those stereotypes are broken. The first survey tested how likable a person was given a certain characteristic and race. The second survey compared the subject’s traits to the number of times they received some form of harassment.

Analyzing the two surveys, it was found that Asians were more liked when they conformed to the stereotypes, and had a higher chance for harassment when breaking these stereotypes. This creates a system that rewards conforming and confirming stereotypes, an infinite loop that forces Asians to “accept their place” or risk disrupting the work environment. One of the cultural values Asians have is to place the collective over the individual, so most would be inclined to follow the stereotypes and continue this pattern of discrimination.

Many agree that leaders require certain traits and skills, such as a dominant, take charge mentality as well as some social skill. Asians, however, are perceived to be highly competent,