Breaking Down Workplace Barriers for Women of Color

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Abstract: This article discusses the unique challenges faced by women of color in the workplace and provides recommendations for organizations to address barriers they face. Research shows women of color report higher rates of feeling excluded and experiencing subtle discrimination. Key barriers include a lack of role models, feelings of isolation and tokenism, and unconscious biases. While diversity of women and minorities has increased individually, intersectional challenges for women of color persist. The article argues organizations must implement inclusive policies, such as hiring and promotion goals for women of color, unconscious bias training, and employee resource groups. Leadership must play a role through advocacy, sponsorship programs, and accountability. Case studies at Intel, Boston Consulting Group, and Citigroup that focused on developing women of color into leadership roles show promising results, such as increased representation. While more data is still needed, these initial efforts demonstrate that purposefully confronting intersectional barriers through targeted initiatives can generate real progress toward genuine workplace inclusion.

Leaders seeking to improve workplace diversity and inclusion often overlook the specific challenges faced by women of color. However, research on belonging and identity in the workplace consistently finds that women of color report higher rates of feeling excluded, overlooked for opportunities, and experiencing subtle discrimination in their careers. For organizations genuinely committed to cultivating diversity and empowering women at all levels, breaking down barriers for women of color should be a priority.

Today we will explore the research around barriers faced by women of color at work, such as lack of role models and unconscious biases.

Barriers in the Workplace

A significant body of research has identified barriers uniquely affecting women of color in professional settings. Some of the most prominent include:

• Lack of role models. Particularly at senior levels, few women of color currently hold leadership positions to serve as mentors and examples of career success stories (Warner, 2014). Without visible role models, it can be difficult for aspiring women of color to envision themselves in top roles.

• Tokenism and isolation. As some of the few women of color in many workplaces, some report feelings of tokenism, pressure to represent their entire demographic, and isolation from majority peer groups (Bell & Nkomo, 2001). This can negatively impact belonging, well-being, and ambition over time.

• Unconscious biases. Subtle prejudices and assumptions about competence based on gender and race can disadvantage women of color through unequal opportunities and harsher scrutiny, even in organizations espousing diversity values (Purdie-Vaughns & Eibach, 2008).

• Intersections of marginalization. Facing discrimination at the intersection of both gender and race creates additional, compounding barriers not fully explained by looking at either factor alone (Beckwith et al., 2016).

These barriers persist despite increasing representation of women and people of color individually in the workplace. Overcoming them requires explicitly acknowledging and addressing the unique challenges faced by women of color through targeted reforms at organizational and leadership levels.

Organizational Policies and Support Systems

Implementing inclusive policies and structures of support can help mitigate barriers by setting clear expectations of inclusion and providing resources for success. Specific actions organizations can take include:

• Establishing hiring, promotion, and retention goals specifically for women of color in leadership pipelines, with accountability measures.

• Mandating unconscious bias training for all staff focused on gender and race, paired with practical strategies for mitigating bias in decision making.

• Creating employee resource groups for women of color allowing community, mentoring, and a voice in diversity efforts.

• Formalizing sponsorship programs pairing senior women of color with high-potential junior counterparts to advocate for development opportunities.

• Auditing benefits and family policies like parental leave, flexible work, and childcare support to ensure they support all demographics equally.

• Collecting demographic data on attrition to uncover any disproportionate losses of women of color and address root causes.

Implementing such formalized programs signals leadership commitment to addressing intersectional challenges. They also provide women of color with support structures many others take for granted.

Leadership Accountability and Sponsorship

Beyond policy changes, visible leadership from the top remains crucial. Specific actions leaders should take include:

• Setting public diversity goals that are ambitious yet achievable, with personal involvement in goal setting and reporting progress regularly to staff.

• Advocating internally and externally by consciously uplifting women of color as spokespeople, board members, and in supplier diversity programs.

• Sponsoring high-potential women of color into senior positions, boards, and client-facing roles through active promotion and advocacy within their networks.

• Role modeling inclusive behaviors like equitable meeting facilitation, introduction of all staff regardless of level, and consideration of gender and race in leadership succession planning.

• Holding all managers accountable through performance management and progressive disciplinary action for any bias, exclusion, or disparities in their teams involving women of color.

With sponsorship and oversight from top leadership, inclusive policies can be more effectively implemented to support authentic career growth for women of color throughout the organization.

Case Studies in Progress

While much work remains, some organizations have shown promising results from proactively tackling barriers for women of color. Intel's diversity initiatives, for example, focus on developing and promoting women of color into technical leadership roles traditionally dominated by men. Their recruitment of black and Hispanic women into engineering specifically has more than doubled over the past decade (Catalyst, 2020a).

Another case is Boston Consulting Group (BCG)'s United States Women of Color Network, launched in 2015 to advocate for the career concerns uniquely affecting this demographic. Representation of minority women partners has since increased from 1% to over 5% of the total (BCG, 2020).

Similarly, in the financial sector, Citigroup enacted policy changes like mandated slates of diverse candidate for roles and sponsorship programs for high-potential minority women. As a result, their number of female managing directors from underrepresented groups jumped from 89 to over 150 between 2015-2019 (Catalyst, 2020b).

While more data tracking long term outcomes is still needed, these initial efforts demonstrate real progress is achievable when organizations purposefully confront barriers facing women of color through an intersectional lens. Leaders in any field can learn from their examples.

Conclusion

Research clearly shows that failure to explicitly acknowledge and address discrimination at the intersection of gender and race in the workplace shortchanges true diversity goals. For genuine inclusion, visible action on dismantling barriers facing women of color specifically should be a priority for any leader today. Organizations able and willing to institute supportive policies, leadership accountability, and role modeling have demonstrated initial steps toward leveling the playing field and lifting women of color into their fair share of opportunities. Though cultural change remains gradual, prioritizing intersectional barriers provides a tangible starting point for any sincere effort to cultivate diversity from the ground up. Moving forward with proactive plans to break down those barriers will yield dividends not only for women of color themselves but for organizations seeking to maximize talent at all levels through inclusive excellence.

References

• Beckwith, A. L., Carter, D. R., & Peters, T. (2016). The underrepresentation of African American women in executive leadership: What's getting in the way?. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 7(4).

• Bell, E. L., & Nkomo, S. M. (2001). Our separate ways: Black and white women and the struggle for professional identity. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

• Boston Consulting Group. (2020, May 1). The experiences of women of color in corporate America. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/experiences-women-color-corporate-america

• Catalyst. (2020a, February 25). Quick take: Women of color in the United States. https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-of-color-in-the-united-states/

• Catalyst. (2020b, October 21). Quick take: Women of color in financial services. https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-of-color-in-financial-services/

• Purdie-Vaughns, V., & Eibach, R. P. (2008). Intersectional invisibility: The distinctive advantages and disadvantages of multiple subordinate-group identities. Sex Roles, 59(5-6), 377–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9424-4

• Warner, J. (2014, February 24). The women's leadership gap: Women's leadership by the numbers. https://wernercenter.a.edu/Blog/Detail/women-leadership-gap-women-leadership-by-the-numbers

Additional Reading

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Optimizing Organizations: Reinvention through People, Adapted Mindsets, and the Dynamics of Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.3

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Reinventing Leadership: People-Centered Strategies for Empowering Organizational Change. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.4

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Cultivating Engagement: Mastering Inclusive Leadership, Culture Change, and Data-Informed Decision Making. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.5

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Energizing Innovation: Inspiring Peak Performance through Talent, Culture, and Growth. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.6

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Championing Performance: Aligning Organizational and Employee Trust, Purpose, and Well-Being. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.7

• Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Workforce Evolution: Strategies for Adapting to Changing Human Capital Needs. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.8

• Westover, J. H. (2024). Navigating Change: Keys to Organizational Agility, Innovation, and Impact. HCI Academic Press. doi.org/10.70175/hclpress.2024.11

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Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.

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Suggested Citation: Westover, J. H. (2024). Breaking Down Workplace Barriers for Women of Color. Human Capital Leadership Review, 15(1). doi.org/10.70175/hclreview.2020.15.1.13