Slide text
Slide one: Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling
Slide two: What is it?
The “Bamboo Ceiling” refers to the invisible barriers Asian and Asian American people face in the workplace
The Bamboo Ceiling is most prominent when ascending to leadership and executive roles
Source: “Lessons from the Bamboo Ceiling,” Association for Psychological Science (2021).
Slide three: CEOs by the numbers
Description: Line plot graph showing white at the highest, South Asian in the middle and East Asian at the bottom. The largest gap is between East and South Asian.
Data from Jackson G. Lua, Richard E. Nisbettb and Michael W. Morrisc, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020) Graph from Association for Psychological Science
Slide four: Causes
These barriers can be caused by racism and are based on the stereotype of Asian success and the Model Minority Myth
This stereotype paints Asian people as being quiet, hardworking, studious and rule-abiding
Consequently, this myth can make Asian people invisible and overlooked in the workplace
Source: “Lessons from the Bamboo Ceiling,” Association for Psychological Science (2021).
Slide five: Perceived assertiveness scale
Description: Bar graph showing East Asian as the least, South Asian as middle and white as the most. The largest gap is between East and South Asian.
Data from Jackson G. Lu, Richard E. Nisbett and Michael W. Morris, PNAS (2019) Graph from Association for Psychological Science
Slide six: Bamboo ceiling & gender
The “glass ceiling” refers to the invisible barriers that women can encounter in the workplace that make it harder for them to ascend to the same levels as their male coworkers
Asian women face both the “glass ceiling” and “bamboo ceiling” combined
Source: “Lessons from the Bamboo Ceiling,” Association for Psychological Science (2021).
Slide seven: Gender/race index
Chart values: White men, 1.834; White women, 0.693; Asian men, 0.629; Asian women, 0.296. Gender gap men, 165%; gender gap women, 112%. Racial gap men, 192%; racial gap women, 134%.
Data from Shruti Mukkamala and Karen L Suyemoto, Asian American Journal of Psychology (2018) Graph from Association for Psychological Science
Slide eight: What we can do
Take steps to combat the stereotypes and myths that uphold the “bamboo ceiling”
Increase the prominence of Asian people and Asian women in decision-making
Voice Asian people’s/your experiences and career accomplishments
Raise awareness of this issue!
Source: “Breaking The Bamboo Ceiling: Advancing Asian Women To C-Suite Leadership,” Forbes (2023)