Chinese Dreams? American Dreams? : The Lives of Chinese Women Scientists and Engineers in the United States

"Immigrant Chinese women scientists and engineers who study and work in the United States constitute a rapidly growing yet understudied group. These women’s lived experiences and reflections can tell us a great deal about the current state of immigrant women scientists in the United States, how universities can help these women succeed, and about China’s emergence as a global scientific and technological superpower. Chinese Dreams American Dreams is the first ethnographic study to document migrating Chinese-born women scientists’ and engineers’ educational experiences and careers in the U.S. It historically situates these women in current political, economic, and cultural contexts and examines the successful strategies they employ to survive discrimination, advance careers, establish networks, and promote transnational research collaborations during their educational and career journeys in the U.S. This study makes a valuable text for students, researchers, and policy makers in higher education, women’s studies, science and engineering studies, as well as for faculty who teach future scientists and engineers. It also introduces new multicultural, intersectional, and feminist perspectives on these crucial issues of gender, ethnicity, nationality, and class, as they impact women’s professional lives." TABLE OF CONTENTS 8 FOREWORD 12 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 14 LIST OF TABLES 16 LIST OF FIGURES 18 PROLOGUE 20 SECTION I: THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF CHINESE WOMEN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS 24 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION: Chinese Dreams, American Dreams 25 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 28 STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK 31 NOTE 33 CHAPTER 2: THE WOMEN I STUDIED AND MY OWN FAMILY HISTORY 34 THE ALLEGED TRAITOR 所谓的叛徒 34 THE CHINESE WOMEN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS I STUDIED 35 MY FAMILY HISTORY 36 Three-Inch Golden Lilies 三寸金莲 37 The Iron Girl 铁娘子 38 The Super Woman 女强人 45 NOTES 47 CHAPTER 3: INTERSECTIONALITY ANDTHE CULTURE OF SCIENCE 49 THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF GENDER WITH RACE, NATIONALITY, AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS 50 PERCEPTIONS OF SCIENCE 51 BEHIND THE SCENES, YET CRITICAL FACTORS 53 GENDER AND SCIENCE IN A NON-EURO-AMERICAN CONTEXT 54 THE EXPERIENCES OF CHINESE WOMEN SCIENTISTS 56 NOTES 59 SECTION II: THE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT AND GRADUATE STUDIES 61 CHAPTER 4: WOMEN IN ACADEMIA 62 ACADEMIC PROFESSIONS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF GRADUATE SCHOOL 62 WOMEN IN GRADUATE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRAMS 64 GLASS CEILINGS: BARRIERS TO FACULTY CAREERS FOR WOMEN 66 NOTE 68 CHAPTER 5: THE INFLUENCE OF CHINESE ACADEMIA AND CULTURE 71 CHINESE WOMEN 71 BACKGROUND ON CHINESE ACADEMIA 72 HISTORY OF WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN CHINESE HIGHER EDUCATION 74 THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION 75 CHINESE GRADUATE EDUCATION SINCE THE 1970S 76 AGE AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION 78 CONFUCIAN EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY AND STUDENT-PROFESSOR RELATIONSHIPS 79 ROLE OF TEACHERS 81 COMMUNICATION IN THE CLASSROOM 82 SOCIAL RELATIONS AND HOLIDAYS 82 DISADVANTAGES AND EXPLOITATION OF CHINESE WOMEN STUDENTS 83 ADULTHOOD AND MARRIAGE 84 CHINA’S INVESTMENT IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 85 ACADEMIC CORRUPTION AND DISHONESTY 87 NOTES 87 CHAPTER 6: AMERICAN ACADEMIA: Doctoral Programs 90 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF AMERICAN GRADUATE SCHOOLS 91 DOCTORAL PROGRAMS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY 93 FINANCE AND FUNDING 95 POSTDOCTORAL ADVENTURES 98 NOTES 102 SECTION III: CHINESE WOMEN’S LIVED EXPERIENCES 105 CHAPTER 7: MENTORING AND INFORMAL SOCIALIZATION 106 MENTORING 106 INFORMAL SOCIALIZATION 107 GENDERED MENTORING 109 INTERACTIONS AND COMMUNICATION WITH ADVISERS 112 DYSFUNCTIONAL ADVISER-ADVISEE RELATIONSHIPS: IMPACT OF A LACK OF MENTORING 114 ADVISERS’ AND MENTORS’ VALUE FOR NETWORKING 118 NSF ADVANCE: WHERE ARE THE FOREIGN-BORN WOMEN? 119 NOTES 120 CHAPTER 8: CAREER PATHS 123 COMMON CAREER PATHS 123 DISCUSSING CAREER EXPECTATIONS WITH ADVISERS 126 STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC CAREERS 129 CAREER ALTERNATIVES 131 NOTES 132 CHAPTER 9: CHALLENGES AND STEREOTYPES 133 WORK-LIFE BALANCE 133 CHILDREN 137 DROPPING OUT AND MENTAL HEALTH 138 STEREOTYPES OF DOCILE CHINESE WOMEN 139 CHINESE BIAS 141 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THEFT 143 SEXUAL HARASSMENT 144 NOTES 146 CHAPTER 10: TACIT KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND NEGOTIATIONS 147 IMPOSTER SYNDROME AND PEER NETWORKS 147 SWITCHING ADVISERS 149 HARMONY AND CONFLICT 152 NOTES 153 CHAPTER 11: SEA TURTLES RETURN TO CHINA 154 DUAL CAREER COUPLES 156 CHINESE GOVERNMENT-INITIATED PROJECTS TO ATTRACT AMERICAN-EDUCATED CHINESE SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS 157 CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE INITIATIVES 159 Age Restrictions and No Incentives to Specifically Attract Women Returnees 161 Science and Engineering Projects Focused on Top-Ranked Universities 162 CHALLENGES FACED BY HAIGUI 162 SHENG NÜ (剩女): LEFTOVER WOMEN 165 NOTES 167 SECTION IV: GENDERED TRANSNATIONAL NETWORKS, GUANXI, AND THE POWER OF REVERSED MIGRATION 169 CHAPTER 12: GUANXI: Cultural and Social Networks among Chinese Women 170 THE CHINESE DIASPORA KNOWLEDGE NETWORK 171 SOCIAL CAPITAL AND GUANXI 174 NATIONAL IDENTITY AND GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES 176 NOVEL WAYS OF FUNDING 177 NOTES 178 CHAPTER 13: GLOBAL SCIENTIFIC MESHWORKS AND WOMEN’S CAREERS 180 MESHWORKS 180 Institution-Based Meshworks 181 Common Experience-Based Meshworks 181 Career Goal-Based Meshworks 182 IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCES 182 THE BENEFITS OF LONG-TERM COLLEGIALITY 185 WOMEN PEERS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT 188 CAREER DECISIONS AND CONNECTIONS 190 NOTES 193 CHAPTER 14: WOMEN’S TRANSNATIONAL NETWORKS 194 FEMINIZATION OF MIGRATION 195 A GLOBAL NETWORK OF WOMEN: HOW DO THEY ADVANCE THEIR CAREERS BEYOND NATIONAL BOUNDARIES? 198 TRANSNATIONAL NETWORK FORMATION AND GLOBALIZATION OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE 199 Vast Expansion of Higher Education in China 200 Dramatic Growth in International Graduate Students in the U.S. 200 Increased Migration to the U.S. of Asian-Born Scientists and Engineers 201 NOTES 204 SECTION V: REFLECTIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: CHINESE FEMINIST PERSPECTIVES 206 CHAPTER 15: REFLECTIONS 207 ASIAN SCIENTISTS IN THE U.S. 207 DISCIPLINARY DIFFERENCES 209 GENDERED COMMUNICATIONS 210 INFORMAL YET STRONG TRANSNATIONAL TIES: FAMILY AND ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS 211 RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY COLLABORATIONS 214 MARGINALIZATION AND TACIT KNOWLEDGE 215 FURTHER RESEARCH 216 NOTES 217 CHAPTER 16: IDENTITY TRANSFORMATION: Chinese Feminist Perspectives 219 POSTCOLONIAL FEMINISM AND WOMEN OF COLOR 219 INTERSECTIONALITY AND FEMINIST THEORY 222 HISTORY AND CURRENT DISCOURSES OF CHINESE FEMINISM 223 He-Yin Zhen 224 Chinese Women’s Movement 225 GLOBALIZATION AND GENDER EQUALITY 229 THE UNIQUENESS OF CHINESE FEMINISM 231 NOTES 234 CHAPTER 17: CONCLUSION 236 NEVER THE MAIN PLAYER: THE REALITY 236 RETURNING TO CHINA 238 MOVING FORWARD 239 PROACTIVE SOLUTIONS 241 NOTES 243 REFERENCES 244 Immigrant Chinese women scientists and engineers who study and work in the United States constitute a rapidly growing yet understudied group. These women's lived experiences and reflections can tell us a great deal about the current state of immigrant women scientists in the United States, how universities can help these women succeed, and about China's emergence as a global scientific and technological superpower. Chinese Dreams? American Dreams? is the first ethnographic study to document migrating Chinese-born women scientists'and engineers'educational experiences and careers in the U. S. It historically situates these women in current political, economic, and cultural contexts and examines the successful strategies they employ to survive discrimination, advance careers, establish networks, and promote transnational research collaborations during their educational and career journeys in the U. S. This study makes a valuable text for students, researchers, and policy makers in higher education, women's studies, science and engineering studies, as well as for faculty who teach future scientists and engineers. It also introduces new multicultural, intersectional, and feminist perspectives on these crucial issues of gender, ethnicity, nationality, and class, as they impact women's professional lives. Front Matter....Pages i-xxi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-11 The Women I Studied and My Own Family History....Pages 13-27 Intersectionality and the Culture of Science....Pages 29-40 Front Matter....Pages 41-41 Women in Academia....Pages 43-51 The Influence of Chinese Academia and Culture....Pages 53-71 American Academia....Pages 73-87 Front Matter....Pages 89-89 Mentoring and Informal Socialization....Pages 91-107 Career Paths....Pages 109-118 Challenges and Stereotypes....Pages 119-132 Tacit Knowledge Sharing and Negotiations....Pages 133-139 Sea Turtles Return to China....Pages 141-155 Front Matter....Pages 157-157 Guanxi....Pages 159-168 Global Scientific Meshworks and Women’s Careers....Pages 169-182 Women’s Transnational Networks....Pages 183-194 Front Matter....Pages 195-195 Reflections....Pages 197-208 Identity Transformation....Pages 209-225 Conclusion....Pages 227-234 Back Matter....Pages 235-245 "First ethnographic study to document migrating Chinese-born women scientists' and engineers' educational experiences and careers in the U.S. It historically situates these women in current political, economic, and cultural contexts and examines the successful strategies they employ to survive discrimination, advance careers, establish networks, and promote transnational research collaboration during their educational and career journeys in the U.S. This study makes a valuable text for students, researchers, and policy makers in higher education, women's studies, science and engineering studies, as well as for faculty who teach future scientists and engineers."--Page 4 of cover