Why and How People Managers Should Do More to Advocate for Black Women in the Workforce
The first five years of one’s career are some of the most transformative years both personally and professionally. When I graduated from college six years ago, I had a lot to learn about how to be an effective contributor to the companies and teams that I worked with. Organizations such as Management Leadership for Tomorrow, which aim to increase the number of underrepresented corporate leaders, were key to my initial success of receiving a job offer. However, I still had much to learn about how to effectively contribute to a team, quickly adapt to changes, and effectively communicate with my managers.
Understanding the nuances of how to succeed in corporate America would require time, experience, and mentorship that as a biracial Black woman in a corporate space is not always easy to access. My biracial identity has afforded me privilege, I’ve never been told that I was “too aggressive” by my peers and I haven’t heard derogatory comments made about my hair, experiences that many of my Black female friends have experienced. This is just one example of the importance that intersectionality within gender has in the experiences of Black women. To properly support Black women early in their careers, understand that our experiences are not monolithic, and that intersectionality is an important element of identity.
Women have and continue to experience challenges in their careers such as double standards of likeability, taking on more housework than their male partners, or being less likely to receive credit for teamwork. As a woman in consulting, a male dominated industry, there were also a series of challenges that I experienced in my first consulting role. As the only woman in my consulting start class, I felt discouraged and rejected when I was among the last of my class to be staffed on a project. A variety of factors likely contributed to this outcome, whether an unusually low number of projects during that time or my own lack of relevant experience. It remained clear that staffing for new analysts was still largely based on a manager’s willingness to take a chance on a new analyst who they had not worked with before. This willingness to take a chance on a new analyst is easier when a manager or leader can personally relate to the individual. As a young, Black woman, I often had little obvious connection with the majority White, male leadership which put me at a disadvantage compared to my peers. When I was finally staffed to my first project, it was a Black woman who provided the opportunity, further emphasizing the importance of personal connection. These experiences forced me to reflect on my identity as a Black woman in the corporate space, which made me realize the way that race and gender would likely play a role in my career going forward.
While women experience challenges on the job, for Black women and women of color, these challenges are heightened. Black women are paid $0.62 for every dollar earned by white men, roughly 21% less than white women. Hearing countless stories of peers learning that they were leveled lower than white peers who have the same or less experience has become so common that it no longer surprises me. As a new analyst, one of the experiences where I sensed this intersectionality — the way that race, gender, and other identities are connected — was when attending project happy hours. I often felt like a fish out of water as the only Black woman in the room. I have been fortunate to have a diverse set of experiences that allow me to connect with anyone. Despite this, I frequently felt that many, especially older white men, didn’t value my presence. I would receive blank stares when I tried to engage in discussion and couldn’t help but think that they were questioning my worth.
How do we support early career women and women of color in the workplace?
As I reflect on this experience, I’ve outlined the following suggestions for people managers that would have improved my experience early in my career and can be used to support future Black women early in their careers.
- Create Diverse Ways to Acknowledge Team Contributions
Western tech workplace culture often rewards those who successfully leverage self-promotion. Women, especially Black women, often experience a double standard where they are more likely to be punished for self-promotion and less likely to be praised without it. In a world with these biases, it is important to create diverse ways for team members to contribute.
One of the most impactful and equity conscious teams that I have been a part of includes a frequent number of ways to be acknowledged and share subject matter expertise whether through 1) speaking up in meetings 2) presenting client wins in regular biweekly meetings 3) submitting wins via an online portal to be shared in an internal forum 4) leading various projects to support clients. The frequent cadence of these opportunities also reduces the chances that the same people are constantly being rewarded and provides ways for people with different styles to be recognized.
2. Diversify and Expand Your Personal and Professional Network
A more diverse network will equip you to refer more diverse qualified people to open roles at your company. Assess your network — does everyone look the same? Have the same educational pedigree? Do you have early career women and Black women in your network? Leverage programs like Colorwave or Management Leadership for Tomorrow to expand the diversity of your hiring network.
Additionally, as a more experienced manager or person in your career, find ways to connect with younger, less experienced Black women and women of color on the team. Not only are these the folks who will bring new perspectives, but they often have insight to the project, client, or work that you may not have. I’ll never forget more senior leaders who made a genuine effort to connect, in a world where I consistently felt that I did not belong.
3. Remove Biases in your Performance Review Process
Be critical about your performance review process. How are you creating equitable opportunities for Black women? Review historical trends within your organization or your team to address any biases or trends. Would you be proud to make this trend data public? Have frequent (monthly or biweekly) check ins with members of your team. Provide candid, but constructive feedback. Women and people of color are less likely to receive the honest truth when receiving feedback.
4. Proactively Mentor
Mentorship is key to success in tech, where success is often dependent on a series of unwritten rules about relationship engagement, type of impact, and more. As a manager, or more senior individual contributor, reach out to a woman who is early in their career. Meet with them regularly to help them navigate the unwritten rules for promotions, cross functional engagement, and manager engagement. The key here is to be proactive. Some women may not feel comfortable or know how to identify a mentor (learn more about how to identify a mentor here). The countless mentors that I have had over the years have been critical to helping me understand my own shortcomings while also encouraging me in my professional growth.
There is more to be done to advocate for Black women, especially those who are early in their careers. While many articles focus on actions that women can take to mitigate such biases, the responsibility lies within all of us to make a more inclusive culture.
About the Author: Imani Parker-Fong is a proud Blasian (Black and Asian) who is passionate about removing barriers to financial equity for communities of color whether through improving educational access & equity, professional development opportunities, or through investing in the next wave of founders. She is originally from Stockton, California and will graduate from The Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2023.
