Shades of Brown in Corporate America

It’s been a little over a year since I left the traditional workforce yet I wonder if it has gotten any better for women of color in the workplace. To clarify, I mean are women of color getting in the door, advancing to the top and being treated fair and equal throughout the process.

According to Working Mother’s recent survey there is still much work to be done to diversify corporate America. According to the survey results, women of color are generally satisfied at the three companies on the list. At American Express, the New York financial-services concern, 79 percent of women find the company’s values concerning diversity are similar to their own, and 81 percent plan on staying with the corporation for at least the next year.

Eighty-three percent of the surveyed women of color employees of the nation’s largest home lender Fannie Mae, based in Washington, D.C., plan to maintain their employment over the next year. Seventy five percent find Fannie Mae’s diversity ideals to be mostly in-line with their own. IBM, the Armonk, N.Y., information-technologies developer and manufacturer, also boasts high satisfaction rates among women of color, with 74 percent believing IBM’s principles concerning diversity are akin to their own and 83 percent planning to still work at IBM a year from now.

Many of the women of color surveyed – employees of companies both on and off the list – say they must often work harder than their white co-workers in order to gain recognition. Women who feel their bosses “think of them as women of color” are especially dissatisfied, with more than half reporting they believe their advancement has been stifled by their race and gender. By contrast, only 18 percent of the entire survey group said they felt being a woman of color has hindered their progress.

More women of color are entering the corporate world, yet they are less likely than men and white women to fill higher positions and earn larger salaries, according to Kirschenbaum. Thirty-nine percent of the women surveyed hold graduate degrees, but only 31 percent are employed in managerial or executive positions.

“Representation of women of color in the workplace in terms of management jobs and above is still very low,” Kirschenbaum said. “Only 8 percent of all managers in corporate America are women of color, even though they make up 14 percent of the total workforce, for example. That’s a big issue.

Working Mother magazine also provided 4 strategies for women of color to employ as they seek to enter corporate America and shatter glass ceilings.

While I see the value in all four of the strategies, I have to ask the following questions and would love to hear your input and insight:

1. Why is it still this way in 2009?

2. Why do women of color have to work twice as hard to get what they deserve?

3. What do women of color need from white women to help reverse this reality and challenge?

4. What needs to happen on a personal, social and political level to speed up this process of “allowing” women of color to gain access, be promoted, excel and lead major corporations?

New York, NY (May 28, 2008) – In its sixth annual diversity study, Working Mother magazine provides an in-depth look at the companies that are leading the way toward gender and race equality in the workplace by actually “walking the walk.” Although the Best Companies are making great strides, hurdles remain, as a whopping 68% of multicultural women believe that gender and racial pay-equity issues exist at work, according to instant polling at a Working Mother Media National Conference. In its special report, Working Mother goes behind closed doors to find out what white men – who account for more than half of all managers and three-quarters of all CEOs – really think about their women-of-color employees. While some white men in the C-suite admit they’re more comfortable working with men than women, others admit that race and ethnicity can play a role in deciding who gets plum assignments.

Their 4 key tips for multicultural women who want to advance:

• Be much more open to feedback. Ask your manager to be specific about your strengths and weaknesses.
• Network beyond your comfort zone. Look for formal as well as informal opportunities.
• Take on stretch assignments even though you may feel intimidated by the challenge.
• Have straight-talk with your managers, telling them what you want – and don’t undersell yourself.

This year’s 20 Best Companies for Multicultural Women show a dramatic 49% increase in the number of women of color who are senior managers, with American Express, Ernst & Young, General Mills, IBM and PricewaterhouseCoopers topping the list. Women of color represented 13% of all new hires last year, 14% of all employees, and 7% of top 20% earners at the winning firms. To learn more, read on here.

The 2008 Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women:
• Allstate Insurance, Northbrook, IL
• American Electric Power, Columbus, OH
• American Express, New York, NY *
• Chubb & Son, Warren, NJ
• Citi, New York, NY
• Colgate-Palmolive, New York, NY
• Credit Suisse Securities, New York, NY
• Deloitte, New York, NY
• Ernst & Young, New York, NY *
• General Mills, Minneapolis, MN *
• IBM, Armonk, NY *
• JPMorgan Chase, New York, NY
• Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL
• MetLife, New York, NY
• PepsiCo, Purchase, NY
• PricewaterhouseCoopers, New York, NY *
• Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH
• TAP Pharmaceutical Products, Lake Forest, IL
• Verizon Communications, New York, NY
• Wal-Mart Stores, Bentonville, AR
* Denotes a Top Five company

Book Resource:
Double Outsiders by Jessica F Carter Double

Outsiders examines the most important issues facing professional women of color (including black, Asian and South Asian, Latina, Middle Eastern, Native American, and multi-ethnic women) today. It clarifies the challenges they face and debunks myths and fallacies about them in corporate environments. It also provides those seeking to learn more about corporate women of color with these women’s unique perspectives, their personal stories, insight into their experiences and cultures, and an understanding of their achievements. Double Outsiders analyzes critical success factors for professional women of color, provides resources, and offers potential solutions to challenges they face in corporate America. In addition, it provides companies with insight into one of their fastest-growing employee demographics and helps them learn key strategies for their recruitment and retention.

By Catrice Jackson