Statistics
Race and racism create specific, unique challenges for women of color that are too easily ignored with broad platitudes that seek to advance women’s representation without questioning which women are most likely to benefit.
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Despite representing about 18% of the U.S. population, women of color represented only 4% of C-Level positions in 2018, falling far below white men (68%) and white women (19%). Even graduating from a prestigious business or law school doesn’t help much. Of the 532 African-American women who earned their MBAs at Harvard Business School between 1977 and 2015, only 67 (13%) have achieved the highest-ranking executive positions, compared to 161 (19%) of African-American men and 40% of a matched sample of 150 non-African-American HBS alumni. (Washington, 2019)
Corporate representation divided into role, gender, and race
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An oft-cited statistic, for instance, reveals that as a result of factors including, but not limited to, motherhood penalties, gender discrimination, and occupational segregation, women make 79 cents for every dollar men earn. But Black women earn only 64 cents on the dollar, and for Latinas, it is a dismal 54 cents. (Wingfield, 2020)
Latinas and Asian Women Will Make Up a Larger Percentage of the US Labor Force Over the Next Decade 7
Between 2019–2029 the projected percentage increase in the labor force of women by race or ethnicity: 8
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Black women: 9.3%.
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Hispanic women: 25.8%.
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White women: 3.1%.
Percent of women of color among all US management, business, and financial operations employees in 2020:9
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Asian women: 18.8%.
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Black women: 14.2%.
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Hispanic or Latinas: 12.4%.
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White women: 18.1%.
Of total bachelor’s degrees earned by US citizen women and permanent residents in 2017–2018, the percentage of those earned by women of color: 5
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Hispanic women: 14.9%.
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Black women: 11.4% (this percentage has decreased since its high of 12.3% in 2011-12).
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Asian/Pacific Islander women: 7.6%.
At every step of the corporate ladder, women of color lose ground to White women, men, and men of color.
The biggest obstacle women face is the first step up to management
If women are promoted and hired to first-level manager at the same rates as men, we will add ! million more women to management in corporate America over the next five years.
