Addressing the Nuanced Experiences of Women and Femmes in Your Workplace

Catalyst?recently published?a detailed report examining women’s workplace experiences. Authors Samantha E. Erskine, Ph.D., Sheila Brassel, Ph.D., and Kathrina Robotham, Ph.D. surveyed 2,734 women from different marginalized racial and ethnic groups within Australia, Canada, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. The researchers assessed the experiences of those within multiple marginalized identities, examining racism, skin tone bias and colorism, texturism,?cissexism?and?heterosexism. Some of the major findings include:

· 51% of the women from marginalized racial and ethnic groups experienced racism at work

· Skin tone bias was a pervasive issue and those with darker skin tones were more likely (compared to lighter skin toned women) to experience racism at work

· Trans and queer women were more likely to experience racism compared to cisgender heterosexual women

· Allyship and curiosity of leaders can improve experiences for women from marginalized racial and ethnic groups

An important finding in the research was the prevalence of colorism and texturism in the workplace. Colorism and texturism don’t receive enough conversation within DEI discussions. The researchers found that respondent’s experiences with anti-blackness were global. Having physical features that were deemed as closer to Black, such as kinkier or more afro-textured?hair, lead to marginalization. Researchers also found evidence of what scholars have called?intersectional invisibility: where the presence of multiple marginalized and intersecting identities can lead to experiences of both hyper-visibility and invisibility.

The report indicates that LGBTQ+ women were more likely to experience racism compared to their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts, with trans women being more likely to experience racism compared to other LGBTQ+ groups and cisgender heterosexual women. As the authors note, “antiracist leaders must address experiences of racism at work...through an intersectional lens that is mindful of colorism, texturism, cissexism, heterosexism, and other systems of oppression. Without an intersectional lens, your antiracist efforts risk falling short.”

Given the findings of the research, what are ways to create more robust and nuanced interventions that address these specific issues? The first step requires awareness and education. It’s important to be investing in educators, speakers, consultants and practitioners whose work centers on these very specific forms of oppression and marginalization. Be sure you are investing in those who are part of the communities that their work and education is focused on. For example, enlisting the help of a person that has?never had?personal experiences with racism, but instead had to learn about racism through a book is not an ideal person to lead and educate your workplace about racism. Bring in speakers who can speak to issues like colorism and the Black trans experience. Second, stop the gaslighting. Darker skinned women have consistently shared their experiences with marginalization,?misogynoir, and colorism but they are often silenced, ignored and erased from the conversation. Sometimes, darker skinned folks who bring up colorism are called out for somehow being “divisive.” Give your darker skinned employees a megaphone to amplify their experiences and enlist the help of those directly impacted by colorism, racism and other forms of oppression to guide your equity efforts. Center the needs of those most marginalized. Be sure you are implementing change at a systemic level to address these issues. Create objective evaluation criteria for both hiring and promotion processes and train leaders on these specific types of biases that impact workplace decisions. Continue to collect intersectional data to assess workplace trends and develop unique interventions to address disparities.

This article was originally published in Forbes.

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