A new landmark report has confirmed what many Black women already know – that experiencing racism at work is sadly, the norm.
The study reveals that at every stage of the career journey, from entering work to senior leadership, women of colour are being locked out of reaching their true potential.
Broken Ladders – published by the Runnymede Trust and Fawcett Society – documents the experiences of 2,000 women of colour in workplaces across the UK. Researchers found that institutional racism is common in all sectors and in all organisations – 75% have experienced racism at work, with 27% having suffered racial slurs.
There is also a pressure forcing women of colour to mould themselves in order to conform. 61% report changing themselves to ‘fit-in’ at work, from the language or words they use (37%), their hairstyle (26%) and even their name (22%).
Unsurprisingly, this is having an impact on mental health, with 39% of Black and brown women saying their wellbeing had been affected by a lack of progression, compared to 28% of white women.
Being refused promotion led to loss of motivation for 43% of women of colour.
The new findings support a study published earlier this year that found that half of Black women in senior management have resigned ‘due to racism at work’.
‘We are looking at successive generations of women of colour being stifled by workplace systems and cultures that diminish and discredit their work,’ Runneymede Trust head of research, Dr Shabna Begum, tells Metro.co.uk.
‘It is unacceptable that a woman of colour in her fifties can still, in 2022, see her daughter enter the labour market and confront the same forms of discrimination she did, three decades ago.’
Alisha* contributed anonymously to the research with an account of her experiences in the workplace. She lives in London and tells of how she chose to become self-employed after seeing no future in her full-time job.
‘I really struggled to progress as I was constantly overlooked for promotion opportunities despite being really good at my job,’ she says. ‘It was starting to feel like Groundhog Day.
‘I struggled to progress above junior positions and felt that my pay was much lower than it should have been given my experience. I couldn’t prove this though as we never talked about money at work.’
Alisha’s experiences are reflected in the data. 28% of women of colour (compared with 19% of white women) reported that a manager had blocked their progression at work, and 42% reporting being passed over for promotion despite good feedback (compared to 27% for white women).
Another issue reported by Black and brown women in the study was being told – directly or indirectly – that they didn’t ‘belong’ in certain spaces.
Janine* reveals in her testimony: ‘I told my university tutor, I wanted to pursue a career in academia and he told me bluntly, that this was a bad idea. He said that academia was not a place for “people like me”.’
Once women make it up the ladder into leadership – despite the many barriers – the discrimination and unequal treatment doesn’t end there.
The report highlights an ‘illusion of meritocracy’ in the workplace, adding that the narrative of merit ‘obscures the power and influence of invisible and informal networks at work, of which women of colour are often excluded.’
Researchers found that being a woman of colour was significantly associated with being seen as a less acceptable leader; with women of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage most likely to report being told they do not have the right leadership qualities (36%).
Women of colour in senior roles also reported attending conferences and being mistaken as hospitality service staff or taking part in meetings and being addressed as the secretary.
An additional problem identified in the report is the issue of ‘leadership fit’ where women of colours’ expertise and skills are restricted to what is seen as in line with their racialised and gendered identity, rather than a broader recognition of their leadership qualities.
The authors conclude that workplaces risk losing talented women of colour, as the data shows they move into self-employment as a direct result of toxic workplaces and a lack of opportunities.
Dr Halima Begum, CEO, Runnymede Trust, says: ‘Women of colour face a double jeopardy. From school to the workplace, there are structural barriers standing between them and the opportunities they deserve.
‘Women of colour know first-hand the myth of meritocracy, from the mental gymnastics of constantly code switching to being repeatedly passed up for promotion, in 2022 it is high time we invest in them. Until we do so, we will continue to lose them as they leave the workplace, resulting in a huge waste of talent.’
The State of Racism
This series is an in-depth look at racism in the UK.
We aim to look at how, where and why individual and structural racism impacts people of colour from all walks of life.
It’s vital that we improve the language we have to talk about racism and continue the difficult conversations about inequality – even if they make you uncomfortable.
We want to hear from you – if you have a personal story or experience of racism that you would like to share get in touch: [email protected]
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Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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