Just over half of women from under-represented ethnic groups experience racism at work, according to new figures from equality research firm Catalyst.
Women with darker skin tones, queer women (63%) or trans women (67%) were even more likely to experience racism compared to their cisgender heterosexual colleagues, of whom 49% said they had suffered such exposure.
Catalyst’s survey of more than 2,700 women in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and South Africa also revealed that a quarter feared that senior leaders would discriminate against a worker based on their ethnicity, race or culture.
Respondents’ experiences included both overt and covert incidences of racism, from colleagues making negative assumptions to outright racial slurs.
Report author Kathrina Robotham said these experiences contributed towards the “emotional tax” that women from marginalised groups have to pay, in that they are constantly on guard to protect against bias and discrimination.
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“These findings show that racism is an ongoing and pervasive part of the workplace experience for women from marginalised racial and ethnic groups,” she said, calling out the “compound disadvantage” these women endure.
“It goes beyond talking about women’s experiences as a monolith and highlights the effects of skin tone and hair texture, two aspects of identity that do not receive much attention, on women’s experiences of racism. It’s time to end the blatant racism that occurs around the globe for women from marginalised racial and ethnic groups and create accountability for nurturing antiracist workplaces.”
Catalyst found that in workplaces that are considered inclusive and diversity is valued, women from these groups were far less likely to experience racism (43% vs 61%).
The actions of senior leaders are also crucial. When senior leaders did not demonstrate allyship and curiosity, over half (56%) of respondents experienced racism, compared to 46% when senior leaders did exhibit these behaviours. However, 49% say their senior leaders are not allies to under-represented groups.
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“The days when organisations and CEOs could turn a blind eye to racism in the workplace are over,” added Lorraine Hariton, president and CEO of Catalyst. “Senior leaders must cultivate open, diverse cultures where incidences of racism are swiftly dealt with and fairness and accountability are at the heart of an organisation’s processes and procedures.”
The company offered the following advice for senior leaders looking to foster a more inclusive culture for all women:
- Build allyship and curiosity by educating leaders on the barriers people from marginalised groups face, encouraging people to empathise and call out racism when they see it
- Strengthen the organisational climate through policies that show the organisation values diversity and fairness
- Create accountability through feedback systems that can measure and track experiences of racism, and help the organisation to hold people to account.
