Do Asian women need to work harder through the career pipeline?
There is little research that specifically examines the inequalities in career progression for Asian women in the UK. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the disparities experienced by ethnic minority groups, bringing increased attention and urgency to the conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion (EDI) in a workplace. Asian women are almost invisible from positions of power across both public and private sectors. They are overrepresented in junior positions and virtually disappear the higher up we go into management and leadership positions (1). The question we ask is whether this is the result of structural racism and barriers faced at each stage in a woman of colour’s career pipeline, which means Asian women have to work harder to progress further than men and our white counterparts.
Is there evidence to suggest that this problem is more systemic and structural rather than individual?
The Fawcett Society is the UK’s leading charity campaigning for gender equality. They published a report (1) that highlights the barriers women of colour face regarding employment and maps out these barriers at different stages of their career pipeline. Key findings include:
At School:
Ethnic minority Muslim students are frequently placed in lower sets than their abilities warrant.
Fewer ethnic minority students achieve top grades compared to their white peers.
Inadequate career advice affects transitions from school to higher education (HE) and the labour market, disproportionately impacting girls and ethnic minority students.
At University:
60% of women of colour in the workforce had a degree or HE qualification in 2019, compared to 50% of white women.
Students of colour are less likely to attend top-tier universities and face lower odds of receiving offers from prestigious institutions.
Entry into the Workplace:
Ethnic minority people need to send 60% more job applications to receive the same number of call backs as White British people.
Ethnic minority graduates are less likely to find employment six months after graduation, partly due to a lack of networks and support.
Overqualification is common among ethnic minority groups, with many working in lower-paid jobs below their skill level.
Progressing at Work:
Nearly one-third of black and minority ethnic women report being unfairly passed over for promotions.
Just under one-third of black and minority ethnic women report being unfairly denied access to training and development opportunities.
Ethnic minority Muslim women face a lack of confidence, career advice, and opportunities as major challenges to career progression.
Systematic barriers to progression are evident in sectors like teaching, police services, the legal sector, higher education, and the medical sector.
People of colour are more likely to occupy lower-grade positions, with their representation decreasing higher up the career pipeline.
Leading at Work:
When the report was carried out women make up 6% of CEOs of FTSE 100 companies, but none of these positions are held by women of colour.
Despite high ambition levels, black and minority ethnic women report that white women's leadership styles are more positively perceived.
Many women of colour feel they must change to fit into the organisational culture to gain seniority.
“I do think that my cultural upbringing makes it more difficult to feel comfortable advocating for myself. It’s a confidence issue: I’m almost afraid that I’ll get fired.”
What does all this mean?
The growing literature shows that cumulative impacts of structural discrimination at each stage erode confidence, self-esteem, and motivation. By the time women of colour reach senior positions, they often experience what is described as "the ten years later syndrome (3)" taking much longer than their white counterparts to progress due to the ongoing barriers they face. Even if they overcome these challenges, they still face significant hurdles in reaching senior roles.
Despite these challenges, Asian women remain highly motivated. The lack of women of colour in senior leadership is not due to lack of ambition (4). Compared to women overall, they are more likely to ask for promotions and far more likely to want to be a top executive so they can make a positive impact on the world according to the McKinsey and Company report (2022) (2).
How can things change?
The Fawcett report (1) outlines suggestions under each of the different career stages:
School
Teacher training: There is a need to improve teacher training to include topics and tools on interrogating racial biases, expectations of students, and cultural competency .
Bias in school processes: Schools need to examine their processes for bias to prevent students of colour from being disadvantaged by unfair setting, streaming, and GCSE tiering practices .
Careers advice: Researchers argue that the Department for Education should introduce a quality standard for school careers advice, given the greater reliance on these services by students of colour.
University
Awareness and aspirations: Universities have been working to raise awareness and aspirations in Black and Minority Ethnic students by providing targeted information, advice, and guidance .
Addressing the attainment gap: Some universities are raising awareness of the attainment gap among tutors and providing resources to help tutors address this issue.
Opportunities for disadvantaged graduates: Certain universities offer paid internships to disadvantaged graduates to support their progression from higher education to employment .
Acknowledging educational disparities: Educational disparities should be acknowledged as racial inequality rather than being viewed through a broader lens of inclusivity and diversity. University leaders must take responsibility for initiating change.
Entry to the Workplace
Bias training: Employers should ensure staff at all levels undertake bias training to prevent quality job applications and interviews by ethnic minority candidates from being overlooked .
Diverse shortlists and inclusive job specifications: Employers should draft job specifications in a more inclusive manner, and have diverse interview panels. Unnecessary data such as name and race should be removed from longlists and shortlists until the interview stage .
Support for migrants: Jobcentre Plus should provide free access to the National Recognition Information System to help migrants of colour prove their overseas qualifications .
Progressing at work
In-work mentoring: Employers should provide mentoring to Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic women to help them navigate informal work practices and understand the internal workings of an organisation .
Government support: The government should promote mentoring as a developmental skill and offer guidance, resources, and external training to support mentors .
Transparent progression routes: Employers should make career progression routes more transparent and accessible by clearly detailing what is required for advancement and pay increases .
Leading at work
Acknowledging contributions: Call for policymakers and employers to recognise the positive attributes, capabilities, and added value that Black and Minority Ethnic women leaders bring to the workplace .
Training for Advancement: Training programs should be offered to help women of colour advance to senior positions (5).
Research and Initiatives: There is a significant lack of research and initiatives to support women of colour in reaching and thriving in senior leadership positions, highlighting a critical gap in knowledge and best practices.
If the problems are systemic, how can we influence change?
As an Asian woman, I have internalised various challenges over the years, which have impacted my self-esteem and confidence, ultimately limiting my progression. This self-fulfilling cycle, fuelled by systemic barriers, has led me to believe, "I am not good enough," and "I need to work even harder". However, after examining the data and literature in this area, I realise I am not alone—many of us feel this way.
By coming together and sharing our stories, we can break this cycle. Realising "I am not alone here" can significantly boost our confidence and self-esteem. By supporting each other and having these conversations, and through mentoring we can start to articulate the issues in our workplaces and to our networks. We can encourage organisations to collect relevant data, which can shape future policies. Together, we can think creatively to tackle barriers at every stage and apply pressure to those in power to work towards an inclusive future for Asian women.
How AMBER is Pledging to Help
Mentoring Program: Launching a mentoring program where Asian women can mentor each other, providing guidance, support, and encouragement.
Spotlight series: We will interview Asian women across industries putting a spotlight on careers where there is a lack of representation of Asian women. This is coming soon.
Sister's Stories Forum: Creating a forum where we can share stories and experiences, bringing visibility to the issues we face and fostering a supportive community. This is coming soon.
#togetherwecan.
Let's start the conversation and take action together. By empowering each other, we can influence meaningful change and build a more inclusive future at work for Asian women.
References
(1) Dey, M., White, C. & Kaur, S. (2021) The Pay and Progression of Women in Colour. The Fawcett Society and The Runnymede Trust.
(2) Chui, M., Ellingrud, K., Rambachan, I. & Wong, J. (2022) Asian American workers: Diverse outcomes and hidden challenges, may be long overdue. McKinsey & Company.
(3) Lim, R., and Campayne, P. (2007). Different Women, Different Places. The Diversity Practice Ltd.
(4) BITC (2015) Race at Work 2015. The Prince's Responsible Business Network.
(5) CIPD (2017) Addressing the barriers to BAME employee career progression to the top. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.