At Boss Women Media, we talk a lot about prioritizing our mental and physical wellbeing. We do so unapologetically because we understand the nuance of being a woman of color on the go – whether that be raising children, making boss moves at work or both.
Over the past few weeks, our team has been developing a series that unpacks the experiences of Black women at work. We’ll be discussing the traumas we face in the office, hear from expert voices on how to set healthy boundaries and cope with past experiences, and more.
But before we dive into this topic though, we wanted to root ourselves in data. In March of this year, the Gallup Center on Black Voices released a survey that found that Black women are less likely to feel they are treated with respect in the workplace. Black women are also less likely to feel like a valued member of their team and that their coworkers treat everyone fairly.
Other key findings show:
- Black women have a unique experience in the workplace as opposed to women of other racial and ethnic backgrounds
- Black women are the least likely to feel valued and treated with respect
- Employee engagement and inclusion can be nurtured by managers
Gallup’s data tells a story all too familiar to many of us, and yet we don’t often share it. We’re here to change that narrative and speak out about what it’s like to be a Black woman in the workplace. Our goal at Boss Women Media is to grow stronger together, and this series is just one way we hope to do that.
Until then, we encourage you to take some time to reflect on your own experiences in the workplace. Each week we’ll be diving into a new topic that could be triggering for some. We invite you to follow along this series with a friend – someone you can talk to and bounce ideas off.
We hope this series sheds light on an ongoing issue and creates opportunity for more dialogue and solutions to be put on the table.
