Asia Society Inclusion and Diversity

Workforce Demographics

Asia Society is committed to a respectful workplace that welcomes diversity. We promote equality in staff recruitment, hiring, development, and opportunities for advancement. This is consistent with our mission of building bridges across cultures and promoting mutual respect among peoples, cultures, nations, and institutions.

Diversity has many dimensions, including, but not limited to, race, gender, age, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, physical ability, and veteran status,. Diversity also includes work experience, family status, socio-economic class, and diversity of political thought.

Methodology

The source for this report is Asia Society’s Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) data, which is collected annually, as well as information from our staff profiles, which are completed by all Asia Society employees. The categories for race and gender are determined by the federal government for workforce reporting.* The categories used for generation identification have been defined by the Pew Research Center, and are as follows:

Generation Z: born 1997 to 2012
Millennials: born 1981 to 1996
Generation X: born 1965 to 1980
Baby Boomer: born 1946 to 1964
Silent Generation: born 1928 to 1945

*Asia Society is required to report the race and gender for all employees. Thus, in compliance with federal EEO requirements, employees who opt out are visually identified.

Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives

Asia Society was founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd with a mission to advance meaningful understanding between the people and cultures of the United States and Asia. In recent years, Asia Society has invested in a series of external programs as well as internal workshops and conversations designed to build empathy and understanding. Asia Society recognizes that building a culture of respect and understanding both externally and internally is an ongoing effort and requires continual evaluation of programming, policies, and practices.

Internal Challenge to Increase Empathy, Diversity, and Equality

At a time when organizations are being asked by employees how they plan to establish equity and tackle race discussions, unconscious bias, and structural bias, Asia Society is re-committing to building a respectful and inclusive environment. We are currently undergoing an evaluation of policies and practices and investing in externally facilitated dialogue and training on these difficult topics.

Asia Society is committed to being ever stronger in diversity and has over the past three years engaged external experts to support us in these efforts. Some of our next steps include:

Assessing current policies and practices relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Conducting one-on-one interviews with staff and key stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the current culture.
Making recommendations for culture and organizational changes.
Ongoing employee assistance program support to all employees and their households, including no-cost access to certified mental health, financial, and work-life counselors. This has proven especially important during this time of COVID-related personal, professional, and global disruption and stress.

External Programming to Educate and Collaborate

Asia Society was founded as an educational institution, promoting cultural exchange at a time when much of the culture, art, and history of Asia was little known or understood. From making the exquisite art collection of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd open to the public, to introducing emerging new artists from Asia, to providing a forum for thought leaders and heads of state, Asia Society has always sought to build understanding through knowledge and dialogue. Today, the Asia Society Policy Institute is considered one of the most influential think tanks in the world, providing constructive dialogue and new ways of finding collaborative solutions to pressing global challenges.

We have committed to ensuring diversity on our stages, at our conferences, and in our galleries and programs, and we seek to increase diversity within our ranks.