Asian American women interestingly rank second in US earnings, Elon Musk reacts

Elon Musk's reaction to wage disparity data reveals that Asian American women rank second in U.S. earnings.

Elon Musk has once again stirred discussions on social media with a succinct comment on a post addressing wage disparities in the United States. Sharing The Rabbit Holes’ post on median yearly earnings for full-time workers, Musk commented, “Interesting,” drawing significant attention to a key statistic: Asian American women rank as the second-highest earners in the U.S., surpassing White male Americans in median yearly earnings.

Elon Musk's remark on wage disparities emphasizes Asian American women's rise to the second-highest median earnings in the U.S. (AFP)

Taiwanese Americans sit at the top of the list, followed by Asian Americans, and then respectively, Turkish Americans, Iranian Americans, Chinese Americans, Lebanese Americans, Japanese Americans, and Korean Americans.

The data, derived from reports by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), underscores a complex landscape of earnings inequality. Asian American women’s rise to the second-highest spot in median earnings challenges long-standing narratives about gender and racial wage gaps. Their position behind only Asian American men reflects both progress and ongoing disparities across demographic groups.

Asian American women's earnings on the rise, but gender pay gap persists

The broader earnings trends reveal that women’s wages have steadily increased since the late 20th century, with notable gains among Asian American women in particular. Between 2000 and 2019, inflation-adjusted earnings for Asian women rose by 26 per cent, a trajectory that has consistently outpaced the national average for women.

“The natural conclusion is that the society we live in is neither racist nor is it sexist,” the Rabbit Hole later commented in thread.

Despite their standing as high earners, Asian American women still face the overarching gender pay gap within their demographic. The same BLS data highlights that in 2019, Asian women earned 77 percent of what their male counterparts made. This discrepancy mirrors similar trends among other racial groups, with White women earning 81 percent of White men’s median earnings, and Black and Hispanic women earning 92 percent and 86 percent of their male counterparts' wages, respectively.

Musk’s reaction to the data has brought back issues regarding income equality, racism, sexism and how it is manifested in organizations and companies. A lot of people wonder, “Where is white privilege they always complain about?”