Asian Americans have long been viewed as the ideal immigrant—the “model minority”. Asian Americans are often highly educated—dominating fields such as engineering, medicine, and other more “advanced” fields. This reinforces the model minority myth: that Asian immigrants are a law abiding, highly educated, and quietly assimilated group that require little assistance compared to other immigrant groups that might not be as “successful”.
This perception, however, is not only untrue but incredibly harmful to both Asian and non-Asian immigrants. Under this seemingly well adjusted façade lies pressures to succeed deriving from cultural values of filial piety, the expectations of supporting their extended families, the struggle to “make it” in their new country, and more. These expectations contribute to greater Asian representation in higher education and other professional/higher paying jobs. Despite this, Asian Americans remain underrepresented in management and leadership roles with only 1.5% of corporate officer roles in the Fortune 500 being Asians—a phenomenon called the “bamboo ceiling”.
The harmful myth also reduces Asian American peoples into one monolith and draws unfounded conclusions about them collectively. The “model” minority also implies a “bad” immigrant, which since the coinage of the term has been used to divide and criticize racial (especially Black) minorities. The myth also minimizes the United States' treatment towards Asians in the past, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment. Racism and discrimination towards Asian groups, which has heightened after the COVID-19 pandemic, is continually dismissed due to Asian Americans’ supposedly elevated status amongst racial minorities. Ultimately, the model minority myth keeps Asian groups from progressing while simultaneously displaying them as a shining model of the meritocratic American Dream: if you work hard enough, you can make it. The reinforcement of this myth prevents Asian immigrants and other groups from not only assimilating but truly thriving.
