4 in 5 Asian American Professionals Have Experienced Discrimination, Survey Says

June 9, 2021

Up to 4 in 5 Asian American professionals have experienced discrimination, according to a study by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) released last month.

What to know: The study, which was conducted in partnership with Oxford Economics, surveyed 1,455 Asian American professionals across 22 industries between August 2020 and January 2021.

The respondents, “Asian American senior executives, senior managers, junior executives and entrepreneurs,” were further divided into two cohorts: (1) South Asians and (2) East and Southeast Asians.
At work, 50% of South Asians reported experiencing discrimination, compared to 44% of East and Southeast Asians.
Some 80% of East and Southeast Asians reported experiencing discrimination overall, versus 78% of South Asians.
Due to their identity, more than 60% of all respondents said they must work harder than non-Asian peers in order to succeed.
Around 74% of white respondents felt empowered and supported at work, while only 40% of Asian Americans did.

Why this matters: The findings reflect experiences of discrimination faced by the general Asian American population amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inhi Cho Suh, general manager of strategic partnerships, IBM Cloud & Cognitive Software, said while top Asian American business leaders have spoken out and President Joe Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the study’s findings call for greater responsibility on the part of businesses.
The study outlined 10 actions businesses can take to improve equity and inclusion for Asian Americans in the workplace.
They included allyship among marginalized groups, investment in training against implicit bias and regular dialogue with Asian American employees on race, identity and microaggressions, to name a few.

Featured Image via Priscilla Du Preez

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