Bamboo ceilings keep Asian Americans from promotions and company leadership.
Biases and preconceptions make it difficult for some minorities to succeed in the business world. In America, there has been much discussion regarding the employment and promotion of some minorities, such as African-Americans or Latinos, but much less talk about other minorities, specifically Asian-Americans and Asians who travel to Western countries in search of jobs or alternative types of education, according to the journal "Science" of May 2009. This group can suffer from an effect known as the bamboo ceiling.
Definition
A bamboo ceiling is like a glass ceiling in the professional world. It keeps employees from ascending in a company, moving up into positions of authority, like management and executive roles. Bamboo is an inherently Asian product, and so the term "bamboo ceiling" was coined to describe the struggle that Asian-Americans can have in winning promotions or entering competitive industries.
Industries
To some extent, the bamboo ceiling effect has been noticed throughout American industries. However, some types of organizations have been discussed more than others regarding their tendency to show bias against Asians. Science organizations in the West, for instance, employ relatively few Asian minorities compared to other minorities, including women, according to the journal "Science" of May 2009. Highly competitive industries with competitive divisions and long corporate ladders also have significant bamboo ceilings.
Business Issues
On the business side, bamboo ceilings are created by preconceived biases that separate Asian-Americans into a particular talent group and leave them there. Generalizations state that they are good at math and following orders, but do not often possess skills that company leaders require, according to the journal "Science" of May 2009. Rather than looking at employees on a case-by-case basis, businesses may accept these generalities. There is much less discussion regarding the treatment of Asian-Americans in the workforce than other minorities.
Asian-American Issues
Many Asian-Americans--especially those who are connected to various Asian cultures--are raised with values of piety, respect, communal decision making, and suppression of feelings until appropriate moments. Unfortunately, these values are often at odds with American businesses and promotional methods, where aggressiveness and confidence tend to win positions.
Gender Roles
There is some question of whether it is more or less difficult for Asian men to be business leaders in America than Asian women, says CNN in "Women on Board" in April 2010. To some extent, Asian countries like Japan tend to rank low in gender gap indexes, and Asian women in American leadership positions may not maintain strong connections to previous cultural values. This means they may be more likely than men to be offered promotions or fight for higher positions, according to the August 2008 "Asian Week."
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