Asian Women in America: An Overview

Introduction

Asia is more a “geographic term than a homogenous continent” and encompasses a great diversity of geographies, peoples, and cultures (Encyclopedia Britannica).

In the U.S., people with Asian ancestry can choose to identify as “Asian/Pacific Islander.” This is an officially categorized group that was created for data gathering purposes. Such ethnic categorization is a way to group people on a broad basis of culture and race (Phinney, 1996, p. 919). Categorization can serve practical purposes if the assumption that people within a category have similar experiences is accepted. If that is so, it would be possible to design effective approaches to aid group members in navigating the challenges they face, which are assumed to be similar as well. However, the process of determining categories has been criticized as being imprecise and arbitrary, and it changes over time (Phinney, 1996). Despite these criticisms, the current API categorization in place for the last many years seems to have been accepted, to an extent.

Researchers have used “Asian” and “Asian American” quite widely, apparently for the sake of simplicity, even as these terms represent complexities (Hyun, 2005). “Asians” include various ethnicities, cultures, and nationalities (Read & Cohen, 2007; Zhou & Gatewood, 2000). Similarly, “Asian American” is a concept that “subsumes, under one heading, various cultures, social histories, and experiences of immigration” (Srinivasan, 2001, p. 155). Researchers acknowledge this diversity but have mostly chosen to focus instead on the commonalities that inform experiences of group members.

“Asian American” typically includes both U.S.- and foreign-born individuals (Gee et al., 2015). The Asian American population is estimated to be around “21.8 million, approximately 7% of the U.S. population” (Nielson Reports, 2018, p. 8) and is projected to grow over time. An interesting prediction is that, by the year 2050, approximately 10% of Americans will have Asian ancestry (Kim & Hong, 2004, p. 15). Asian Americans have made their presence felt in all parts of American society and its economy. They have been especially active participants in the professional and business sectors. Dhingra (2012), writing about Indian-American motel owners, linked Asian Americans to the business world by contending that Asian immigration “has been, and continues to be, a product of US needs in global capitalism” (Dhingra, 2007, p. 17).

An interesting and intriguing subsection of the Asian American population is women working in business sectors. Some of them, such as Andrea Jung of Avon and Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo, have been high-profile success stories. Andrea Jung was named CEO of Avon in 1999 and Indra Nooyi became the CEO of PepsiCo in 2006. Since that time, Asian American women have been making steady inroads into the business world. However, despite their hard work, professional presence, and progress, Asian women remain a largely under-researched group in corporate America (Arifeen & Gatrell, 2019). There is a real lack of detailed knowledge about their professional lives, the challenges they face, and how they manage their careers.

It is possible to focus on work experiences in corporate settings across industries and geographies in the U.S. mainly because of similarities in work environments among large business organizations. For instance, hiring processes are subject to similar legal constraints across business domains. These similarities make it possible to discuss broad approaches to individual careers and organizational practices. The career strategies and work experiences presence of Asian women entrepreneurs and small businessowners is distinctly different from those of employees in large organizational settings.

There is extensive research available on women in the workplace, with a specific focus on women’s career pathways. Although that body of research does not address Asian women specifically, it is used as reference to bring up important points with which to inform, compare, and contrast them with other groups of women. Further, as minority group members, Asian women’s workplace experiences are significantly impacted by race and ethnicity. We will thus discuss related issues of racial stereotyping and ethnic identity, both broadly as well as in the context of Asian women.

Finally, this book presents a comprehensive view that pulls together all aspects of organizational functioning that are likely to be especially influential on Asian women’s career experiences. These include general career management, mentors, networks, impression management and leadership.