The Bamboo Ceiling
“I wanted to inspire people not to work under a bamboo ceiling. Whatever you are – yellow, black, white, brown – you don’t have to allow your skin to define who you are or how you operate your business. There’s not one face to anything.” - Eddie Huang
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The bamboo ceiling is a term coined by executive coach Jane Hyun in her 2005 book Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians. Derived from the more common term “glass ceiling” that describes women and minorities in the workforce, Hyun describes the bamboo ceiling as “a combination of individual, cultural, and organizational factors that impede Asian Americans' career progress inside organizations."
Some attribute the bamboo ceiling to cultural misconceptions of Asian Americans. Some Asian Americans claim that at a young age, they were raised to be deferential, respectful, and disciplined to their authorities. As a result, certain stereotypes can come about, seeing Asian Americans as lacking leadership skills and unwilling to take risks. Some also say they are less likely to speak up during meetings, network extensively, and put themselves to the forefront.
These tendencies have led to underrepresentation of Asian Americans in leadership positions across all industries and sectors. Roughly one-third of the workforce in Silicon Valley companies is Asian American, but merely 10% are corporate officers. In New York City law firms, Asian Americans reportedly held the most legal associate positions but had the lowest conversion rate to partner. At the National Institute of Health, more than 20% of researchers are Asian American, but less than 5% are directors or managers.
Asian American women face starker underrepresentation. Within the tech industry, a study reported that only 1 in 285 Asian American women was an executive, compared to the cumulative average of 1 in 118, or 1 in 87 for white men. Other reports cite that Asian American women on average make roughly $10,000 less than Asian American men.
To break through this ceiling, Hyun argues that the first step is self-awareness. Understanding how one is perceived is important, but it is equally as important to taking action in their workplace. Going out to network, proposing new ideas, searching out for mentors, and taking credit for one’s work are examples of ways to break through this ceiling. Contrastingly, others believe companies should have some responsibility to understand and cultivate Asian American values in corporate culture.
However, a recent study in 2020 revisited the issue of the bamboo ceiling, specifically highlighting the differences between South Asian and East Asian professionals. Though both are part of AAPI, South Asians have the highest rates of leadership mobility at companies, much higher than East Asians and even higher than Whites. The study argues that cultural differences in being assertive, creative, and outspoken is what created this ceiling. It is not so much a stereotyping as it is a tendency to favor typically Type A personality traits.
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