Women of color should advocate for themselves but companies have to do more to combat bias as well
How gender bias and racial bias merge to impact women of color in the workplace comes down to how an organization sees people in these groups, how the company’s culture shapes interactions and an individual’s sense of self.
Women of color face a number of challenges in the workplace; in some environments, it’s enough to demotivate. I’m a firm believer in controlling what you can and that means having appropriate responses to conscious or unconscious bias by developing one’s own emotional intelligence. Being your own advocate is the best way to set examples of how you should be treated in the workplace.
When leaders are aware of bias it helps foster safe environments for women of color to thrive. When bias goes unchecked, women of color are passed over for mentorship, promotions and are more often given negative performance reviews. The reality is brilliance can be quickly stifled and potential assets to an organization can be lost. Women of color have become the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs where many have described their departure from corporate America as a weight lifted due to the bias they faced.
The impact of bias can have one focused on perceptions as the world around them becomes distorted. Instead of focusing on performing, distractions like, “Why did they look at me when they talked about poor performance?” takes up more and more time. If emotional intelligence is high, someone advocating for themselves might ask questions for clarity, while someone who has low emotional intelligence will make assumptions and potentially act out or internalize their feelings (none of which are healthy or productive).
When women of color face bias they often have to combat stereotypes. When someone is thrilled about the work they do, it’s always disheartening to hear that it’s not as enjoyable because of outdated, untrue and biased tropes. Women of color often mask or code switch to avoid being mischaracterized, which again takes a toll on one’s mental health. Everyone deserves to authentically be themselves including women of color.
I encourage organizations and women of color to lean on or create employee resource groups dedicated to women and people of color. People experience the world in different ways, and we should all be open to understanding different doesn’t mean bad or less than. If you only focus on supporting people in one way, you’re going to lose great talent.
