White Paper: Does the Stereotype that 'Asian People Are Good at Science' Help Women of Asian Descent in STEM Careers? No.

The stereotype in the United States is that “Asian people are good at science.” You might think that this stereotype would advantage U.S. women of Asian descent in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines. We found the opposite: instead, they encounter the same types of bias that other people of color do. This information is important because most diversity initiatives in STEM address the challenges faced by under-represented minorities (URMs)—black and Latino/a people—but exclude Asian people.