Posted by Dana Sinclair
Facts:
● Asian American women earn 3% less than the median American man (according to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics)
● The median Asian American woman also earns significantly more than the median black
or Hispanic man in the United States
● More than half of Asian Americans over 25 have a bachelor’s degree or higher
● 21.8 percent of Asian Americans also have graduate or professional degrees
● Asian American women make 22 cents less than the Asian American man
● Asian Americans are 50 percent more likely to have bachelor’s degrees, and nearly twice
as likely to hold PhDs, law degrees, MBAs or MDs
Discussion:
Does the closing of the wage gap between white men and Asian American women imply that
there is a decreasing amount of racial bias in the workplace?
The short answer is no. Statistically, Asian Americans are almost twice as likely to hold an
advanced degree compared to the non-Hispanic whites, yet Asian Americans are still earning an
average of 3% less than the median American man. Along with the racial gap in wages, the
gender gap is still present as well. Asian American women still make 22 cents less to the dollar
than the Asian American man.
Conclusion
Increasing education among Asian American women will not close the gender gap due to the fact
that they graduate with higher degrees than men. While there are various factors for men
outearning women, such as women taking time off during pregnancy and choosing less lucrative
occupations, about two-fifths of the gender pay gap remained unexplained by those factors. This
leaves gender and race discrimination as a large factor that contributes to the wage gap.
○ compared to only 33 percent of non-Hispanic whites
○ compared to 12.8 percent of non-Hispanic whites