Purpose. This study is to assess a model that identifies the glass ceiling phenomenon and its effects on Asian Americans' career in social work.

Method. A random sampling selected Asian American social workers in the US through a professional social work association.  Survey method was used to ask participants about their perceptions of ethnic discrimination, promotion opportunities, and organizational justice.  Data were collected through both conventional mail surveys and innovative web-based surveys.  It was evident that supplementary use of web-based surveys to a traditional mail surveys increased the response rate as well as cost and time efficiencies.

Results. Structural equation modeling using Lisrel was employed to test the model.  The proposed model was assessed with the overall adequacy of fit to the data with comparative fit index (CFI). Analysis revealed that the mediating variable (perceived organizational justice) mediates the relationship between explanatory and the dependent variable.

Implications for practice. Study establishes a theoretical and empirical link between the glass ceiling literature and justice theory. The study responds to the call for theory development and empirical work on race and ethnic differences as they relate to organizational behavior, with special attention to the intersection of race and gender. As part of a growing body of research on ethnicity, this study broadens our understanding of the influence of perceived discrimination on organizational processes by providing a theoretical framework grounded in distributive justice theory.