Beyond the Model Minority: An Intersectional Approach to Everyday Discrimination Among Asian Americans

• In Event: 50260 - Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 2: Challenging the Model Minority Myth: Work, Health, and Inequality Among Asian Americans

Abstract

This study applies an intersectionality framework to examine the complexities of everyday discrimination among Asian Americans, moving beyond the oversimplified “model minority” label. Using nationally representative data, the study analyzes gender disparities in explicit and implicit biases of discrimination across ten Asian ethnic groups. Findings revealed that implicit biases are more prevalent than explicit ones. However, such discrimination has gendered patterns, with Asian males reporting more explicit biases while Asian females experiencing more implicit forms. Additionally, these patterns varied significantly across ethnic subgroups, highlighting the need for a more nuanced approach to understanding Asian American experiences. The results underscored the need to disaggregate Asian American subpopulations by gender, ethnicity or broad geographical region rather than treating them monolithically. The findings demonstrate how racism against Asian Americans has evolved into more subtle forms and how discrimination is both gendered and ethnicized, contributing to a more nuanced intersectional understanding of race/ethnicity, gender, and discrimination.

Authors

• Jun Xu, University of Macau

• Fang Gong, Ball State University

• Grant Mu