As Olivia Pope’s father tells her in Scandal:

“As a black woman, you will have to be twice as good as them to get half of what they have.”

This sentiment rings true with every Black woman. Black parents, from decades, have told their daughters that they have to be twice as smart, twice as independent, twice as talented, and ‘twice as good’ if they want to succeed despite racial discrimination. Various papers on black people in the workplace have proved that this notion is more than a platitude.

Women in the US are underrepresented at every place and level. And black women are the most marginalized, even when working twice as hard, lagging far behind white men and women. They make up 13.7% of the U.S. population, yet they represent only 1.3% of senior management and executive roles of S&P 500 firms, 2.2% of Fortune 500 boards of directors, and there isn’t a single black female CEO in the Fortune 500.

So, why am I telling you all this and what do I mean when I say black women must be twice as good to succeed in the workplace? Here is all what I want you to know. . .

INTERSECTIONAL INVISIBILITY

Ironically, black women in workplaces are physically visible but cognitively invisible. The underrepresentation makes them stand out because they are only ‘one’ in the room. But at the same time, they feel invisible because they are not seen for who they are, not heard for what they say, and not chosen what they are good at.

They must adapt to this invisibility and work around various ways through which they can make their employers see them. When starting their careers, they have to be highly self-aware of when they are being noticed or ignored. When they move up the ladder a little, they have to intentionally take risky assignments to ensure their managers notice them. By the time (if) they are promoted to the executive position, they have to work hard to make sure they are not only performing their job but making a significant impact, so the organization can see them worthy of holding that position.

“They are working multiple jobs in one designation. The original work responsibilities, the task of taking on challenges that no one else would take so they can prove their worth all the while scanning when they are visible or invisible to their bosses.”

RISKY GLASS CLIFFS

Minority, especially black, women in executive roles are intentionally handed over precarious assignments. These assignments are risky and tend to be positioned as negative. The supervisors intentionally hand them to black women because those who have these assignments are considered failure-prone.

Prior research suggests that black women take these risky tasks as strategic opportunities to prove their worth as a viable employee and get rid of their invisible outsider status. They are handed over dead-end jobs, which they take as opportunities and do their best to handle them and prove their credibility.

Most of the Black women take the glass cliff assignments and disprove the executives who thought they wouldn’t be able to handle the job. It takes twice the contributions than other employees to show they have the right skills and can take risks. Those who do not take these assignments because they violate their personal beliefs or values are likely to be told to leave the organization.

“Black women are likely to say ‘I won’t do it because of…’ than ‘I can’t do it because I don’t know how to’… when they say the former they lack organizational support because the incident will more likely be projected as the failure or the lack of skills.”

BLACK WOMEN ARE DIFFERENT

Black women oftentimes have a disadvantageous position in the organization. They are constantly and consistently overlooked. They have no sense of belonging in the workplace. They have to mask their real identities to make sure they can blend in with their white counterparts. Their race and gender exclude them from all the boardroom and social conversations.

Often, even after proving their worth as a professional, seniors will tell them they are smart but either they wouldn’t want a black woman on their team or wouldn’t want them to be the ones who present to clients. Despite this discrimination, they have to be resilient, continue working ‘twice as hard’, craft their professional identity, and align themselves with the expectations of their seniors. Black women (with all the stereotypes linked to their image) have to find the right balance between nice and friendly. They have to be viewed as soft but not so soft, firm but not aggressive, and so on.

“They are expected to behave as if they are different from other black women or their original black identity so they can be accepted.”

They are working their job, managing the discrimination, overcoming the stereotypes alongside feeling the diminished sense of authenticity. This emotionally taxing work life DEMANDS them to work twice as hard and be twice as good among other things.

OCCUPATIONAL SEGREGATION

Black women have moved to diverse fields including science, technology, engineering & Math (STEM) over the years. But, they still face occupational segregation, which means that even with the right degree and experience they will be concentrated on lower-wage jobs. They will encounter resistance when they work hard and succeed in achieving managerial and leadership roles.

Black women are scrutinized more closely and are likely to be fired at the slightest mistake. When terminated, they fall back into the unemployment pool where they are unlikely to get a decent job for a long time.

Black women when moving into jobs that are traditionally held by white people are not perceived as befitting success in the ‘traditional’ sense. They have limited job options that establish barriers to their career advancement.

Black women have proved that they are way more than just a race or color. They have worked hard – double, or triple than their white counterparts – to get a part of what they have. If the system is to be changed then:

“It isn’t just about hiring black women. It is about rewriting the narrative, rethinking their status, and reimagining the positions they will fill. It is about wiping off history and writing a new one then just changing the organizational culture.”

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