Asian Ancestry & Your Career | Asian American Poll

ASIAN ANCESTRY & YOUR CAREER
(Updated Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:23:10 PM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

What's the most important way in which your Asian ancestry hurt your career?
I wasn't considered for some assignments and/or promotions. | 32%
I was excluded from opportunities to socialize. | 35%
I was burdened with more work demands than my colleagues. | 12%
I was subtly put down for being different. | 16%
I was singled out for sexual harassment. | 5%

What's the most important way in which your Asian ancestry helped your career?
My linguistic/cultural skills were key to my success. | 2%
My ancestry caused me to focus on fields that later proved highly lucrative. | 1%
It filled me with the drive and determination to succeed. | 97%

What's the most important way in which your Asian ancestry influenced your career choice?
My career choice was motivated by the desire to defy stereotypes. | 46%
I chose a field that would best utilize my cultural skills. | 3%
I chose the field dictated by my family. | 0%
My ancestry didn't influence my career choice. | 51%

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WHAT YOU SAY

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To AC dropout: I think that often times AA's are keenly aware of not wanting to be seen as showing favoritism towards other Asians and so over-react in the opposite direction by being aloof. But I do agree with you that we should help each other out to counteract the lack of mentoring that we will receive from nonAsians. It is simply a fact that we will receive less help in terms of career development from our nonAsian coworkers than other nonAsians will receive, so we must counter that by helping each other. The more that we break through the glass ceiling, the more that corporate America will become comfortable, or at least wake up to the notion, that AA's can be in positions of power.
Naki Friday, January 11, 2002 at 08:55:37 (PST)

AC Dropout,

I 've experienced a similar situation that you've been..

I used to work in a mid size company with a relatively small handful of Asians. Many of these Asians would tried their best to disassociate with one another. I always had a feeling that Asians were generally cold people and unhelpful, and I still think this is true. My observation is that Asians are a very competitive people and many do not believe in team work nor have the time to do someone a favor especially involving their own race. I might sound like a mentally disturbed individual but I am going to say that many Asians are subtle predators and are believers in concepts like Social Darwinism. Think about it. Asians are a minority in this country, lacking in much clout and networking when compared to whites and even blacks, they oust the competion between their own people in a non-Asian dominated society to serve their own needs. This practice is not only seen in places like Chinatowns, but in more sophisticated work environments involving AAs. In friendlier words, it's our work ethic or work culture. Sure, some non-Asians are unhelpful too but I've seen much more Asians in the unhelpful category.

Some people say that Asians will follow the path of the Jews. Like the Jews, Asians are being deemed as an overachieving minority and believers of upward mobility. However, not many people take note that many Jews were successful not mainly because they were self achievers of success but because they had the help of their own people. A typical Jewish person would buy from a Jewish business even if the merchandise was somewhat pricier than a non-Jewish one. Asians generally do not patronize Asian businesses that charge more than those of non-Asian.

Do you want to hear something even more disturbing? I've a friend who was applying for a middle management position for a corporate company and she was interviewed by a representative who is also an AF. In that interview, she told me that the AF was asking her questions regarding Asians and their abilities. Such inappropriate statements and questions were like "Asians overall are meek and weak in management skills, so what makes you a strong and effective manager?" This clearly shows how some Asians do not want other Asians to step into their territory fearing that they might be displaced later on...Some of my other friends and I have been in these similar situations as well.
The Darker Side of Asians Friday, January 11, 2002 at 08:45:52 (PST)

Jan never said her harasser was white. You guys are real good at jumping to conclusions. You think Asian Males aren't bosses and don't have the balls to harass female underlings too? GET REAL!!!
Asian Male Friday, January 11, 2002 at 05:44:23 (PST)

AC Dropout:

I am married to a Chinese-American woman and we both take Lunar New Year and Autumn Moon Festival off from work. We've done it every year and any time some Jewish higher up in the company raised a stink, my response has been "Do you want to be sued for discrimination against people of Asian ancestry or people who have Asian family members?"

I think that people of Asian ancestry or those with Asian family members need to start a movement to demand that these two days be included in the compensated holidays people in the aforementioned categories can take off. It's not right that everyone gets the usual "Christian" holidays, but then the Jews are allowed to take their hollidays off in addition to them WITH PAY NO LESS.
WASP with an Asian Wife and Hapa Kids Friday, January 11, 2002 at 05:41:54 (PST)

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