Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities face a unique set of economic barriers that hinder our ability to achieve wage equity and economic justice. For too long, these obstacles have been misunderstood, under-resourced, and under researched. The model minority myth tells us that our communities have already achieved complete economic stability and security. This myth obscures the lived experiences of AANHPI women and gender expansive people, and leaves them with no path to survive, let alone thrive.
AANHPI women and gender expansive people face the dual obstacles of both gender and racial discrimination. NAPAWF’s research on the economic experiences of AANHPI women has revealed numerous barriers, including workplace discrimination, limited employee benefits, lack of access to necessary cultural and financial resources to promote financial stability, as well as broader issues related to the immigrant experience, unpaid labor for caregiving, and high living costs. These barriers are often compounded by other factors, such as immigration status and class. For each of these obstacles, we can also see how a lack of disaggregated data results in these challenges often being overlooked.
This policy agenda is a guide for policymakers and partners who want to work with us to advance economic justice, with a focus on uplifting low-to middle-income AANHPI women and gender expansive people. The EJ Policy Agenda offers concrete policy solutions that aim to address the primary obstacles affecting AAPI communities:
- Caregiving: ensuring that families have access to affordable high quality care and that care workers, who are disproportionately women of color, are paid a thriving wage
- Wage equity: breaking harmful patterns of pay discrimination and strengthening workplace protections for women, along with salary transparency and an increase in the federal minimum wage
- Healthcare: accessing healthcare and paid leave, so that workers can take care of themselves and their families
- Equitable tax policies: inclusive tax policies that help alleviate poverty for all families, regardless of documentation status
- Data equity: disaggregated data that accurately portrays the diversity of the AANHPI communities, and their unique challenges and experiences
Download the full Economic Justice Policy Agenda to read more!
Learn More: A Fireside Chat on the Pay Gap
Join us for a conversation with NAPAWF executive director Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng, and NAPAWF’s Gender Justice Collaborative partners on Wednesday, April 23rd from 2:30 – 3:30 PM ET on Zoom. Register to receive your link to join!