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Bamboo ceiling

The term "bamboo ceiling" is a concept that describes the barriers faced by many Asian Americans in the professional arena, such as stereotypes and racism, particularly with ascending to top executive and leadership positions. The term was coined and popularized in 2005 by Jane Hyun in Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians, where she addresses those barriers while also providing solutions to overcome them.[1][2] Hyun describes a combination of individual, cultural, and organizational factors that impede Asian Americans' career progress inside organizations.

Since the publication of Hyun's book, a variety of sectors (including nonprofits, universities, and the government) have discussed the impact of the ceiling as it relates to people of Asian descent and the challenges they face. As described by a senior writer at Fortune magazine, "bamboo ceiling" refers to the processes and barriers that serve to exclude Asians and Asian-Americans from executive positions on the basis of subjective factors such as "lack of leadership potential" and "lack of communication skills" that cannot actually be explained by job performance or qualifications.[3] Articles regarding the subject have been written in Crains, Fortune, The Atlantic and Forbes (2016).[4][5][6]

The term is a derivative of the glass ceiling, which refers to the more general metaphor used to describe invisible barriers through which people of marginalized genders, and/or Black, Indigenous, and racialized peoples can see managerial positions, but cannot reach them. Similar metaphor includes canvas ceiling[7] posed on refugees and their workforce integration efforts.

Based on publicly available government statistics, Asian Americans have the lowest chance of rising to management when compared with African Americans, Hispanics, and women in spite of having the highest educational attainment.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

  1. ^ Jane Hyun (3 May 2005). Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling: Career Strategies for Asians. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-073119-9.
  2. ^ Michele Norris (5 July 2011). "Looking at the 'Bamboo Ceiling'". National Public Radio. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  3. ^ Anne Fisher (8 August 2005). "Piercing the 'Bamboo Ceiling'". CNN. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  4. ^ Anne Fisher (18 November 2011). "Training executives to think globally". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  5. ^ Anne Fisher (7 October 2011). "Is there a 'bamboo ceiling' at U.S. companies?". Fortune Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  6. ^ Hans Villarica (15 May 2012). "Study of the Day: There's a 'Bamboo Ceiling' for Would-Be Asian Leaders". The Atlantic. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  7. ^ Lee, Eun Su; Szkudlarek, Betina; Nguyen, Duc Cuong; Nardon, Luciara (April 2020). "Unveiling the Canvas Ceiling : A Multidisciplinary Literature Review of Refugee Employment and Workforce Integration". International Journal of Management Reviews. 22 (2): 193–216. doi:10.1111/ijmr.12222. S2CID 216204168.
  8. ^ "2013 Job Patterns for Minorities and Women in Private Industry". Archived 6 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved 2015-05-08.
  9. ^ "State and Local Government Information (EEO-4), National Employment Summary, 2013". Archived 4 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Retrieved 2015-05-08.
  10. ^ "Enhanced Agency Efforts Needed To Improve Diversity As The Senior Corps Turns Over. January 2003". US General Accounting Office. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  11. ^ "Educational Attainment in the United States: 2014". US Census. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
  12. ^ "Top 10 Numbers that Show Why Pay Equity Matters to Asian American Women and Their Families". 9 April 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  13. ^ "Asian Americans - Myth Reality". Retrieved 1 January 2014.