A report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics on weekly earnings in the third quarter has revealed that Asian women earned more on average during that period than those who supposedly enjoy the ultimate privilege: white men.
Released earlier this month, the report went viral on Friday, with social media posters pointing out the apparent tectonic shift in America’s racial narrative: Asian women in the US have been earning $1,224 per week on average, compared to white men’s $1,122.
The statistic in question sparked something of a debate on Twitter, however, with prominent California lawyer Harmeet Dhillon taking a negative tack. Dhillon claimed such data “will be used to marginalize Asian women” in their workplaces, costing them their current favored employment status as “under-represented minorities.”
Twitter users swiftly labeled her point of view “absurd,” and called for equality in hiring practices.
Another group of commenters simply ridiculed Dhillon’s own position, accusing her of playing the victim, as a woman of Asian descent herself.
Twitter spats aside, many social media users simply expressed how delighted they were for Asian American women, with many declaring them “hard-working”. Some commenters lauded the development as a capitalist success story and even as feminist breakthrough.
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