Nearly 3 in 4 Asian American Pacific Islander women experienced racism in 2021, new report says

March 4, 2022

A new survey has found that almost three in four women in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community reported facing racism and discrimination in 2021.

The survey report, referred to as “The State of Safety for Asian American and Pacific Islander Women in the U.S.,” was released by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) on Thursday.

The report, which polled 2,400 AAPI female respondents across the U.S., stated that 47% of the reported hate incident cases allegedly happened in public areas and 53% of respondents said their case was perpetrated by a stranger.

In a press release, NAPAWF Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow highlighted the challenges AAPI women face as targets of harassment and discrimination.

“This past year, our community has experienced a 339% jump in hate crimes – with AAPI women disproportionately being the targets of this hate and violence,” she said.

The survey also found that almost 40% of the respondents experienced sexual harassment over the past year and 51% expressed feeling more unsafe today than in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, 71% said fear of discrimination, harassment or violence is causing them stress and anxiety.

According to Choimorrow, the survey results reveal nothing new, as “AAPI women have long endured misogyny and racism for centuries and these findings show how this history continues to bleed into our grim present.”

Only 36% of the respondents felt that President Joe Biden’s administration has properly addressed the violence and discrimination perpetrated against them. About 91% of the surveyed women, indicated a desire for elected officials to understand and address experiences of AAPI hate.

Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) President Kyung B. Yoon, whose organization helped support the study, said in a news release that the threat women face goes beyond physical safety.

“The results of this survey are striking and far reaching [sic],” Yoon said in the NAPAWF press release. “The climate of fear and anxiety created by persistent discrimination, harassment and violence is [sic] more than an issue of safety for AAPI women — it endangers their mental health, wellbeing, and happiness.”

Featured Image via Fox 11 Los Angeles

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