3 Insights for Womxn of Color At Work
One thing that most womxn of color often share, is being the first and often being the only.
This year, McKinsey came out with it’s Women in the Workplace report for the 5th year in a row, and across all sectors- we average 4–5% in the C-Suite and in boardrooms — and those figures have been stagnant for years.
On the other hand, womxn of color start 8 out of 10 new womxn owned businesses. This is in large part because mainstream work is no longer working for them.
Last year, womxn of color accounted for 89% of the new businesses opened. That said, we think this moment, and the coming year will be of great consequence for womxn and equity.
We are being considered.
We are being talked about.
We are in a position of power to lead the way — — so that the next generation may walk lighter.
In the past year, we’ve leaned on data and research by McKinsey, Mercer, Payscale, Hired and so many others generating insights that give voice to experiences womxn are having at work. Both the positive trends and those that need some work. Today, we want to share three insights for womxn of color at work — and all the allies and champions supporting us along the way.
1. Let’s be aware that bias starts early, long before we come into the workforce.
In some of the wealthiest cities across America there are huge achievement gaps between white and non-white kids. The access gaps this creates are incredible.
Once we come into work, research shows that biases affect performance reviews and pay increase decisions. Education and self advocacy alone are not enough to rise. Womxn with advanced degrees are under-utilized and under-compensated for their education.
Womxn of color face both social and sector-based isolation, in a world where up to 85% of
open positions are filled through networking, womxn of color are often one of the few. While we
show up to work in huge numbers, we work in some of the lowest paid professions and this is
one of the biggest factors of the wage gap. 50% of all of the lowest wage work in America is
done by womxn of color. And that creates something of a vicious cycle.
2. Another aspect of the isolation comes from not sharing life outside of work.
We know that a large majority of womxn of color at work believe they must downplay their ethnicity to increase their chances of success at work.
Our hair, our food, our culture, our personal lives.
We often don’t reveal aspects of our life outside of work in conversations at work — involvement in community, church, our side hustles.
3. The last thing I want to talk about is race.
Race is a largely invisible category of conversation in companies, big and small. Race in America is increasingly contentious. And it plays a huge role in our access to opportunities.
According to the Harvard Business Review, we womxn of color are most likely to experience workplace harassment. And least likely to get visibility to senior leadership. Which is essential to career mobility.
I want to leave you with one of the most positive pieces of news — womxn of color are far more ambitious than peers.
This is an incredible opportunity for businesses everywhere to leverage.
By 2042, people of color will be the largest demographic in America, and a decade later, womxn of color will be the single largest demographic. The future of work will need to consider the needs of womxn of color at work.
This is a phenomenal opportunity to be intentional about how we leverage that power and activate it for the good for all. We have the tools to do better. So, let’s come together to accelerate the advancement of womxn of color at work.
This post was adapted from our Cofounder, Aparna Rae’s, State of Womxn of Color lecture at the Virtual Assembly.
