Explain the “model minority dilemma” specifically experienced by both Pia Co’s mother and by her father.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The “model minority dilemma” refers to the conflicting pressures and challenges faced by Asian Americans due to the stereotype that they are hardworking, successful, and self-sufficient. While this stereotype may seem positive, it creates unrealistic expectations, ignores struggles, and fuels racial divisions. In Pia Co’s story, her mother and father experience this dilemma in different ways.
Pia Co’s mother encounters the model minority dilemma through the expectation that Asian women should be submissive, hardworking, and devoted to family above all else. She faces pressure to conform to an image of the ideal immigrant who sacrifices her own ambitions for her children. This limits her ability to seek personal fulfillment outside traditional family roles. Despite her hard work, her struggles remain invisible because society assumes that Asian families do not need help.
Pia Co’s father, on the other hand, experiences the dilemma through professional expectations. As an Asian man, he is presumed to be intelligent, disciplined, and economically successful. However, this stereotype minimizes the discrimination he faces in the workplace, such as being overlooked for leadership roles or expected to excel without recognition. The assumption that Asian men naturally succeed can prevent them from receiving support when they struggle, creating emotional and financial burdens that go unacknowledged.
Both parents, therefore, experience the burden of being seen as “model minorities,” where their hardships are dismissed, and they are pressured to maintain an illusion of success. Their struggles highlight the flaws in the model minority myth, which erases individual experiences and reinforces systemic inequalities.
Here is the image representing the “model minority dilemma” experienced by Pia Co’s parents. It visually captures their unspoken struggles, pressures, and emotional tensions within the family dynamic.