Economic and occupational disadvantages are synonymous with black women’s experience working in corporate America. Racism and sexism are the top causes of stifled leadership opportunities for women, especially underrepresented women of color.
No mentorship or support system:
In today’s professional world, having mentors, connections, and network is integral in stepping up the ladder. Research indicates that black women are more ambitious about climbing the corporate ladder to advance in their companies when compared to their white women counterparts. One study shows 75% of Black women view themselves as very ambitious towards their career, with 40% hoping to make it to a management position. However, those rungs to the top are broken for them, because they are less likely to find mentors who will help them reach their career goals and ambitions. Only 26% of Black women say they had equal access to sponsorship and 59% say they never had an informal interaction with a senior leader. Hence, for every 100 men promoted to manager just 58 Black women are promoted to the same role. At a disadvantage from the beginning, Black women see the representation gap continue to widen with only 1.6% becoming vice presidents and 1.4% becoming C-suite executives, while white men hold 57% and 68% respectively.
The reason is two-fold. The sociologist, Tsedale Melaku notes that white executives show visible discomfort and pose unfamiliarity with mentoring or interacting with Black women in the workplace. Moreover, the second reason is the intentional exclusion and disenfranchisement of black women. More often than not, white executives do not want to include their black counterparts in teams or mentor them for higher-level positions. Women of color comprise only 4% of C-level positions despite comprising nearly 18% of the US population. Out of this, only 1% are black women. These patterns result in occupational underrepresentation and wage disparity for women of color, especially black women. It is significant to accept that the issue isn’t restricted to black women only. Asian American women and Latinas are also stereotyped and suffer from racialized and gendered harassment and bias when looking for mentors.
They bypass the requirements of traditional leaders:
An integral step in realizing diversity starts with retention. Recognizing how companies hire, promote, and retain employees is based on a specific leadership archetype. The models of leadership and demographic distribution are based on a Western approach of straight, white men. The job description of the companies looking to hire new people contains words like; “dominant, self-confident, available round the clock, and aggressive candidates/” which are typical keywords used to describe typical white males. This not only leaves women of color at a double disadvantage but women (as a gender) are at loss here. When women, especially of color, embody these traits they are not considered likable and are not respected. Their competence, skills, and intelligence are still doubted. Because, in short, the companies are looking for white males to take over their leadership positions and anything other than that is mostly considered unacceptable.
If this wasn’t enough, the status quo in corporate America is unbelievable. Black women are often reprimanded or rated ‘unprofessional’, ‘unfit to take a higher management position’ because they prefer Afrocentric hair. Native American women have one of the largest pay gaps in the workforce. Latina women as compared to non-Hispanic white women are twice as likely to work twice as hard to prove their cultural background has no impact on their qualifications, experience, or work style. Companies are less likely to employ Middle Eastern women who wear a headscarf. Asian-American women when compared with their white counterparts are generally considered less suitable for leadership positions.
This paired with all the other reasons in this report becomes one of the leading hindrances in the path of women of color who want to secure leadership positions even if they are well-qualified for it.
The concrete ceiling:
Everyone has heard about a glass ceiling, but very few know what a concrete ceiling is. While the glass ceiling metaphor cuts it for white women, it does not for women of color. The difference between the two terms is that the concrete ceiling is a true depiction of the reality of women of color. Black, indigenous, and other women of color face double discrimination in an organization not just because of their gender but because of culture, race, and religious practices as well. This concrete ceiling is impenetrable not just metaphorically but in reality, women of color cannot see what is possible for them.
White women, generally, know what’s hindering their progress and growth in the workplace like the glass ceiling, and gender discrimination. On the other hand, women of color have no idea what obstacles are stopping them. It is because of the ramifications of double jeopardy constituting lower pay, fewer powerful jobs, fewer mentors, fewer sponsors, fewer desired positions, and very few people supporting them. Similarly, leadership biases, stereotypes, white standards of professionalism, racism, discrimination, harassment, lack of support, and emotional & mental exhaustion are only some of the things that comprise this concrete ceiling barring the way for women of color to the top.
The Emotional Tax!
Let’s accept that women of color are tired. High blood pressure seems to be a common occurrence among women of color including those who are leaders. This leads to early retirement and resignation from their workplaces. They are conditioned to do more with less and expect even lesser in return. They are competing for crumbs, knowing that no matter what they do, they are most likely never getting to the top. The emotional tax, also called the black tax for black women, is taking a toll on the physical and mental health of women of color. This becomes a major cause for the lack of BIPOC in the leadership. When they somehow manage to break the glass ceiling, they often face the glass cliff. Glass cliff is when omen and/or people of color are moved into leadership positions when times are tough or the organization is in crisis. They are asked to prove themselves and their worth by cleaning the mess that white executives have spilled. Being in a precarious position means there are potentially higher chances of failure. This is just another way women of color pay the emotional tax.
Approximately 62% of Black workers in STEM fields as compared to 44% of Asians, and 42% of Hispanics have experienced various forms of racial or ethnic discrimination at work, including earning in the same role, exclusion from meetings, not receiving training to perform their jobs and receiving less support from managers. This is taking an emotional toll and putting a strain especially if women of color manage to get the position at the top. Asian, Black, Latinx, and multiracial professionals pay an Emotional Tax at work when they feel they must be on guard to protect against racial and gender aggressions. This becomes one of the most important reasons why they can’t get managerial positions because they are always watching their back.
Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs among women, having grown by more than 600% between 1997 and 2017. They hold the most degrees and yet are unrepresented at the highest ranks of leadership, boardrooms, and academic positions. This is because the microaggressions, bias, and huge loopholes in the existing employment practices, procedures, and processes are causing a huge cause of low retention and inclusion in the organization.
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