“It’s hard to explain what it feels like to be a Black woman at work.
“It feels like a long, invisible uphill battle.”
“I feel like I can’t be myself at work, that I constantly have to perform.”
These are a few of the words and feelings echoed by many Black women at work, indicative of a general sense of unease and even struggle in the workplace. This struggle is largely reflected in the general state of Black women in the workplace, as documented in the 2020 State of Black Women in the Workplace report published by McKinsey& Company.
Stuck at the intersection of race and gender, Black women have faced for decades heavier challenges than most other employees, including wider lack of representation and large pay gap, to cite a few. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated health and economic crisis, which has disproportionately impacted the Black community, these barriers have grown tremendously. At a time when one in three mothers is considering leaving the workforce or scaling down their career plans due to carrying the brunt of the crisis both on the home and the work front, Black women are even more at a disadvantage.
Yet, this gender diversity crisis is also an opportunity to identify what has not been working in the corporate and business world for Black women. Without understanding the unique problems faced by Black women and women of color at work, it’s virtually impossible to create the appropriate solutions.
From mine and so many other Black women’s experiences in the workplaces, here are 7 common struggles they face at work:
- Feeling judged more harshly and subject to higher expectations
One common observation of Black women at work has all to do with not benefiting from the same treatment as most other employees. This is often referred to as a feeling of being judged less impartially, and falling subject to higher and more stringent expectations. This is in addition to being even punished for being ambitious. Unfortunately, this also leads very often to a sense of being set up for failure, potentially fostering early career disappointment, lack of motivation and ultimately complete career abandonment.
- Lacking support
Support in the workplace is absolutely pivotal for employees, especially those who are part of minority or disadvantaged groups. Manager support especially, can make the difference between motivated, high-achieving employees, and employees who lag behind. During the COVID-19 crisis, and as a result of the racial incidents in the United States, Black women have had to carry a heavy emotional and mental toll and report not feeling supported by their management.
- Playing the role of the token
Tokenism is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the practice of doing something (such as hiring a person who belongs to a minority group) only to prevent criticism and give the appearance people are being treated fairly”. While research has shown that tokenism can also afford minorities a competitive edge, being used as the representative of an entire race can also have the adverse effect, resulting in felling overwhelmed, over-burdened, and isolated.
- Lacking deserved recognition
Lack of recognition is another struggle Black women have faced for decades in the workplace. Having to work harder and being “twice as good” is not uncommon for many, if not most, Black women. While it’s considered to be the price to pay to attain higher and unprecedented levels of achievement, it also limits the potential of these women and sets a negative precedent for all.
- Being the only one in the room
Faced with low numbers of women in management and leadership, many Black women find themselves to be the “only one” in the room. Without the opportunity to see themselves in others, isolation and self-doubt, combined with rampant imposter syndrome, can easily set in. What this also creates is the expectation that there will always be a limited number of Black women at the table, thus exacerbating this feeling of otherness and exclusion.
- Less interaction with leadership
Along with the lack of support, limited opportunities to interact with company leadership and management also creates a significant source of blockage for Black women at work. Without the opportunity to reach senior management, there are lessened chances to convey the ideas, performance, as well as issues faced by Black women at work.
- Experiencing micro-aggressions at work
Micro-aggressions are “comments or actions that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally express a prejudiced attitude towards a member of a marginalized group.” For Black women at work, they are a big deal, often creating and reinforcing layers of structural racism. As such, they can have a macro and life-changing impact, affecting Black women on an emotional, mental and physical level, with long-standing personal and professional implications.
All in all, these struggles, and so many others, not only stand in the way of career success for Black women at work, but they also have the potential of scarring them on a deeper mental, psychological and emotional scale. This is why it’s so important to understand not just their impact, but how they manifest in and outside of the workplace. Only when we begin to break the taboo around the walls faced by Black women in the workplace, that we can begin to collectively heal and grow.
What struggles are you facing in the workplace as a Black woman?
The Corporate Sis.
