Recent Developments Hitting the Ceiling: An Examination of Barriers to Success for Asian American Women

28 Pages Posted: 1 Sep 2013 Last revised: 21 Mar 2021

See all articles by Peggy Li

Peggy Li

Independent; University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

Date Written: August 31, 2013

Abstract

From the Editors of the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice, Volume 29, No. 1 (2014):

"The winner of the Catherine Albiston Prize for Recent Developments on Gender, Law and Justice is recent Berkeley Law graduate Peggy Li. In Hitting the Ceiling: An Examination of Barriers to Success for Asian American Women, Li begins by making a compelling argument that "glass ceiling" and "bamboo ceiling theories fail to adequately capture the experiences of Asian American women who face discrimination and oppression on account of gender, as well as race and national origin. Li proposes using intersectionality as a framework for analyzing the experiences of Asian American women and acknowledging the multiple socially constructed identities that impact Asian American women's everyday encounters. To provide readers with a better understanding of the discrimination faced by Asian American women, Li recounts the history of exclusion of Asian American women in the U.S., describes perceptions and stereotypes of Asian American women, particularly in the media, and squares the experiences of Asian American women with the model minority myth. Li then focuses on the ways in which stereotypes about Asian American women have contributed to sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. Li first explains the standard for proving unlawful discrimination. She then draws on the experiences of African American women who have attempted to bring discrimination claims based on their intersectional identities. Finally, Li describes the challenges faced by Asian American women who have attempted to bring similar discrimination claims. Li argues that courts should employ an intersectional framework for evaluating claims of discrimination because this holistic model better accounts for the varied axes of oppression under which women of color suffer, including discrimination based on gender, race, and national origin. Li concludes by proposing general strategies for removing the barriers to success for Asian American women, including a more expansive understanding and application of intersectionality by courts and businesses."

Keywords: stereotyping, gender, physical attractiveness, beauty, Beauty is Good, Beauty is Beastly, Gender Discrimination, Law

Suggested Citation

Li, Peggy, Recent Developments Hitting the Ceiling: An Examination of Barriers to Success for Asian American Women (August 31, 2013). Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2318802 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2318802

University of California, Berkeley - School of Law ( email )

United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
552
Abstract Views
3,047
Rank
92,033
PlumX Metrics