Racism and sexism during pandemic times: Experiences,narratives and coping mechanisms among Chinese women in the Netherlands

Abstract

This article presents findings from a qualitative study on the experiences of racism and sexism of Chinese-origin women living in the Netherlands during the pandemic. The emergence of the COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, and its labeling as the ‘Chinese virus’ in public discourse has triggered xenophobia and racial discrimination against people of Chinese and Asian descent worldwide. This study seeks to shed light on how women of Chinese origin residing in the Netherlands experienced racism during the pandemic, the intersectionality of racism and sexism, and their coping strategies. Participants’ orientations toward the possibilities of digital media in relation to their coping strategies were also explored. Espousing a multiactor frame of reference, semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 Chinese women residing in four major Dutch cities located within the Randstad Region (Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht) as well as one nongovernmental organization representative, one artist, and one activist. Participants’ narratives provide rich insights for feminist and antiracist work in the context of coping with racism, evaluations of Dutch society and gendered stereotypes of Asian women.