Loud, aggressive, and uncontrollable: these words are often attributed to black women. This leads them to be unjustly penalized. By being depicted as overly opinionated in popular media, black women struggle to define the limits of their temper even in the workplace.
In a 2014 study involving women of color in STEM, it reported that 50% of women at work received backlash towards their expression of anger. This puts their careers at risk and paves the way to more instances of miscommunication.
So what can organizations do to avoid reinforcing this stereotype? One key driver is awareness. Understanding the experiences of black women will prevent an organization from nurturing biases. Being open to the conversation creates a safer space for black women to express themselves. Leadership advancement programs and opportunities for voicing out opinions should be inclusive. For instance, examining employee sentiment data through the lens of race and gender will result in better representation of black women when getting feedback.
Related article: https://positivehire.co/debunking-stereotypes-about-women-of-color/
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