Early victims who reported harassment in the workplace were asked to discern whether the complaint was of a sexual nature or a racist one, and many answered that they did not know. Workplace harassment is a power dynamic between the harasser, the victim, and the judicial system, and women of color fall at the very bottom of the hierarchy. They do not have the privilege of white skin nor the privilege of gender, so they become the easiest targets. The perceived perspective of the harasser, when harassing women of color in the workplace, is almost always reported as both racially and sexually charged.

     Specifically, Latinas and Asian American women are viewed as docile and less likely to speak out on the harassment. Immigrant or illegal status can also hinder women of color from receiving justice. And in the instance that a lawsuit does appear in court, there is a new set of obstacles to overcome. Because, even when women of color are believed, the dominant culture that created their oppression influences the hearings and results. 

     Braids, cornrows, and dreadlocks are some of the few banned hairstyles in workplaces throughout America, and of all the hairstyles banned, Black women are disproportionately targeted. 

     They are asked to spend hours and fortunes on their hair to look just as professional as their counterparts when the more healthy and natural options are readily available. I've watched my roommate spend about an hour twisting her curls before bed, only to wake up in tears because she forgot to wear her bonnet that night. Black hair takes skill and time to keep it just presentable, and many black women experience hair loss and terrible pain to look professional enough for their jobs.

     A black woman does not have the freedom to detangle her hair and go in the morning because she isn't professional, but under Title VII her employer can say any style is an easily changeable characteristic and grounds for termination. While courts have concluded that black women's hairstyles are not based on immutable characteristics, race, gender, or sex, these hairstyles were created for cultural and practical purposes and with certain textures in mind. 

     Occupational Segregation is measured with an index of dissimilarity, being what percentage of women in female-dominated occupations would need to find jobs in a male-dominated occupation for all industries to be equal in terms of gender distribution. Millennials measured to be around 7% less segregated by gender than Baby Boomers were, but the percentage of women who would need to find jobs in male-dominated sectors sits at 44%.

     In Figure 2 labeled below, you can see a bar graph depicting the results of a study that examined the racial integration of six different races. The graph also used the index of dissimilarity in that it details how many people of one race would have to move from their dominated occupations to an occupation dominated by another race for all to have equal representation of the two races. 

     Occupational segregation hits women of color in the workplace from all sides. It contributes to the gender and racial wage gap and makes it difficult for women of color to break through the concrete ceiling. 

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