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3 examples of how a Black woman consistently gets overlooked
All around the nation, women of color are still experiencing unfair treatment, bias, ad inequality in the workplace. But there is one particular woman of color whose career I have followed quite closely. Furthermore, we have been able to share our workplace experiences throughout time. I will share three real-life examples of how white men have dominated the corporate sphere in this piece.
Example 1: The Angry White Man
Two peers, one white male, and one black female, interviewed for the same management position.
The white man got the role.
When the black woman asked why management said, “he had more experience communicating with other departments. Lie.
The Black female had several key relationships across departments and conducted several C-Level executive re-occurring meetings. She even had the CEO’s ear, which makes me wonder, why couldn’t he help her?
The white male promoted to manager had to take leave for a couple of months shortly after receiving the management position, and the black woman took over – exceeding expectations and keeping the team fully functioning while he was out. What was her reward? A thank you.
Since the man has come back, he has demonstrated a lack of emotional intelligence by storming out of zoom meetings, showing inappropriate emotional responses on his face, and being severely disorganized. Yet, he is now up for a second management promotion, while the black female is still in an individual contributor role and still getting underpaid.
Example 2: The Sexually Inappropriate White Man
A black female has remained a level above a white man that inappropriately shares his sexual encounters at work, bad mouths coworkers and leaders, and publicly complains all the time. Not only did he start a year and a half after the black female, but he got his promotion in less time than her. He is now being promoted to the same position.
So now, one of the black female’s mentees is on the same level as her, and her peer is now in management and up for his second management promotion.
Example 3: Excuses
Each time the woman brings up the conversation about salary and promotion, leadership gives her the runaround and finds something about her work to pick at.
They tell her a leadership position will open, yet it never does.
They tell her she’s doing fantastic but never give her a raise.
Finally, they tell her to do more things no one else has to do or has done to get promoted.
Why Does It Seem That Black Women Have To Work Harder?
When the woman posed this question to an executive mentor, they stated many managers have a gut instinct about who they should promote to leadership. Crickets.
Her thought process
What about the other black male on the team who took triple the time to management vs. the three white men who got promoted within a year of joining the company?
What about all of the extra nitpicking managers give me versus my peers?
What about the fact that all of those in leadership positions don’t look like me?
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For one Black female executive, being taken seriously at work means painstakingly going over every single email or message she sends; a single typo, she says, could significantly damage her reputation (Business Insider).
Leaders, It’s Time To Own Your Unconscious Bias
Black people no longer need to fall for the excuses of why they aren’t promoted when they’re doing everything right and the same as their white counterparts who are being promoted. Black people deserve the truth.
Unconscious bias is one of the leading reasons why fewer black people are in leadership.
Unconscious Biases Can Create Unfair Disadvantages
Unconscious biases can harm a team. For example, if leadership is affected by an unchecked unconscious bias, then they can create unfair advantages or disadvantages for employees affected by that bias. The downside to this is that certain employees will receive this unfair treatment despite not having any of their work performance considered. This can hurt team morale and push employees away from the business (Easyllama, Compliance).
I have consistently recommended that this woman of color leave the company and go somewhere where she is respected and treated with equality. She is emotionally invested in the company, though, and hopes to be one of the first black leaders of her team. I’m rooting for her, but it’s a painful and unfair process to witness.
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This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.