For Immediate Release: August 29, 2024
Contact: Virginia Lucy, media@napawf.org

New report reveals experiences of AANHPI women and gender expansive individuals, proposes policy recommendations 

WASHINGTON D.C. – A new report out today from the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) sheds light on the intersectional lived experiences of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women and gender expansive individuals as a critical starting point to advocate for equal pay and equitable working conditions.

The qualitative report, “Clocking Inequality: Understanding Economic Inequity, the Wage Gap, and Workplace Experiences of AANHPI Women,” analyzed the results of interviews conducted with AANHPI leaders and community members, revealing many barriers faced by AANHPI communities and access to economic stability and workplace equity, such as workplace discrimination, inadequate employee benefits, unpaid labor for caregiving, and high cost of living. 

“There is a deficit of research exploring the individual experiences of AANHPI women and gender expansive people with workplace equity and the pay gap,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, NAPAWF’s executive director. “Our research sheds light on the ways our workplaces are built to operate against, not with, our cultural nuances, norms, and practices. We need reforms to address the caregivers’ economy, close the gender wage gap, and ensure that all AANHPIs have agency and autonomy to thrive.”

The report outlines policy recommendations to support more equitable work policies and equal pay, including:

  • Targeted funding and building a culturally bolstered caregiving framework
  • Implementing policies, such as parental leave and pay transparency
  • Multi-sector collaborations to reimagine economic justice and ensure inclusion of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities
  • Prioritizing disaggregated AANHPI community experiences in policy development
  • Prioritizing resources and funding for social services, including caregiving support, affordable housing, and economic empowerment programs 

AANHPI partner organizations that participated in this research are: Apna Ghar, Bangladeshi American Women’s Development Initiative, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities, Heart Women and Girls, Jahajee, KAN-WIN, and Laotian American National Alliance. 

The full report, including key findings and full policy recommendations, is available at napawf.org/resources/clocking-inequality.

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About NAPAWF

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only organization dedicated to uplifting and building power with AANHPI women and girls in the US. Employing a reproductive justice framework to guide our work, we use organizing, advocacy, and communications strategies to assert full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.