How to Inspire Women - The Ethnic Minority Report

A mini study by Dr Yekemi Otaru

The time has come. This week marks the last week of the first UK LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Programme (CAP). In my first post of CAP, I set out my goal: To inspire women and create space for their stories.

For women from ethnic minorities, there isn't much specific support, so I focused more closely on this group.

We've been blown away by underrepresentation and the lack of motivation and inspiration for ethnic women in the workplace.

While women make up 47.8% of the UK workforce, less than 5% are women from minorities.

So, I've spent the last six weeks finding out the challenges faced by these ethnic women and what inspires them to keep pushing forward. I engaged with 90 women, 75 of whom were from ethnic minority communities.

Step 1

Poll - Biggest challenges for career women (63 votes)

I conducted a poll on LinkedIn and asked general questions about people's challenges in their career journeys.

75% of the respondents were women, and of that, 40% identified as being from an ethnic minority.

Women were likelier to say that business knowledge was their biggest challenge. In the early stages, men and women were almost equally likely to say access to funding was the main hurdle. Other research shows that as the startup journey progresses, women find it 5x harder to raise investment, with under 2% of VC investment going to women last year.

Finding supportive networks was the second biggest challenge at the early stages - 75% of those who said this was the number one challenge were women from ethnic minorities.

Imposter syndrome and time management are other factors that came up as a challenge.

Step 2

Survey - Women from ethnic backgrounds (21 responses)

Fewer than 5% of the UK workforce are women from ethnic minorities. In the next phase of my mini-study, I created a survey in Typeform and shared it during the LinkedIn Lives shows. 21 UK-based working women from ethnic communities eventually took the survey.

The results show that 62% of the respondents feel somewhat underrepresented in their profession. Of this, 15% said they feel VERY underrepresented.

In the survey, 48% said that finding supportive networks was what they had struggled with most of their careers. Finding mentors and career progression were also top challenges in this group, with 48% and 43% of the votes, respectively.

Balancing home and work commitments are more manageable than some might expect (24%). It's likely that these women have developed strong time management skills or have supportive family and friends.

Step 3

LinkedIn Live Interviews - Inspiring Women Series (4 guests)

Over six weeks, I interviewed four women from ethnic communities. They were Ragini Sidhu (interviewed on 03/11/22), Pinky Ghadiali (interviewed on 14/11/22), Dr Khadija Owusu (interviewed on 23/11/22), and Bayile Adeoti (interviewed on 30/11/22). We had insightful, lively chats about their lived experience, and they shared some insight. Inspiration was overflowing.

Guest One - Ragini Sidhu, VP HR at ONVU Tech

When I met Ragini Sidhu last year, we quickly bonded on our experiences as female leaders from ethnic minorities. 

As Vice President of HR at ONVU Tech, Ragini works closely with the C-suite, engineering and commercial teams. She encourages shared stories in the workplace to improve understanding of various cultures and backgrounds. 

Ragini and I spoke about her career, the fundamental mindset changes she had made so far and what inspires her today,

On mindset, she reflects,

"I had to challenge my own barriers because coming from an ethnic background, you're raised to respect your elders, and it's all about hierarchy."

My chat with Ragini was the first in my Inspiring Women Series. I enjoyed our conversation so much that I decided to interview four women rather than two (my initial plan).

?? Watch Ragini and I in my first interview of the series.

Guest two - Pinky Ghadiali, C-suite coach & Founder of Netwomen.co

Pinky Ghadiali, C-suite coach & Founder at Netwomen??, works closely with women looking to drive their careers and businesses.

We often hear about female leaders' challenges and have scary stats on what stands in their way. Pinky knows too well about the challenges women face in tech sectors, having started life as a Pharmacist before building a community to support career women.

In my conversation with Pinky, she notes,

"The thing about women is that they are very good at their job, hardworking and diligent. They put their heads down and get on with it. But no one sees that. No one will pat you on the shoulder and say, "Well done! Do you want a promotion?"

?? Watch the LinkedIn Live with Pinky.

Guest three - Dr Khadija Owusu, Award-winning doctor & TEDx speaker

The sensational Dr Khadija Owusu joined me on LinkedIn Live on Nov 23rd. She's an award-winning medical doctor, a trustee, and a TEDx speaker.

Her powerful TED Talk focuses on representation in medicine. Khadija said in her talk,

"They say you should be the change you want to see in the world. I wanted to work towards creating an equitable healthcare system for all so that the needs of those in our community are well-met."

She is also the founding member and director of programmes at Melanin Medics, a social enterprise supporting aspiring African and Caribbean medics.

When I asked Dr Khadija for advice to young, aspiring women, she was clear,

"I used to feel that I couldn't fulfil my dream of becoming a doctor because I came from a lower socio-economic background. I didn't know anyone that looked like me in the profession. The key is to abolish this mindset."

Perhaps the most enviable achievement is Khadija's live interview with Michelle Obama in 2021.

?? Watch my interview with Dr Khadija.

Guest four - Bayile Adeoti, Founder, Dechomai Ltd

I met Bayile Adeoti during the Catalyst Leadership programme run by Entrepreneurial Scotland this year.

Her calm yet passionate demeanour is adorable, and I immediately decided that she is one of my favourite people of all time!

Bayile is the founder of Dechomai Ltd., a social enterprise stimulating entrepreneurship in ethnic minority communities.

She is President of Scottish Women in Business (SWIB) and is recently one of The Telegraph NatWest 100 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch.

I'm learning that every driven woman has a crucial source of inspiration; for Bayile, it's people's resilience. She explains,

"People inspire me. I see what women are doing - whether in corporate jobs or a home with their children; their resilience and tenacity in overcoming challenges inspire me."

?? Watch my interview with Bayile.

How to inspire women from ethnic minorities

There are hints of what inspires these women to push forward regardless of their challenges. I see a strong will that comes from somewhere so deep that it's difficult to fully explain why they keep moving forward when there are significant challenges.

Yet, I understand this relentless determination all too well: you are knocked down once and get up twice.

Community, Representation, and Values

Some responses to: 'what is your greatest source of inspiration?' provide three crucial sources for women of colour. Marching on for these women comes down to Community, Representation, and Values.

Community

"My network. Everyone is doing amazing things."

"Reading what others have done or accomplished."

Representation

"Women I identify with in senior positions."

"Black leaders and changemakers"

Values

"My values - instilled by my parents, sisters, aunts and uncles."

"Personal drive to succeed, my children."

"My faith in God."

In particular, representation and values are dominant themes in ethnic minority communities.

Closing thoughts

My interactions with these women have incredibly inspired me. Their journeys reflect mine, and I understand how I can continue to champion women from ethnic minorities. We see the terrible stats and "wow" and "gosh" over them, but what action can we take? I see an opportunity to focus on inspiration. My mini study shows that ethnic women have access to:

• A supportive community 
• Role models that look like them
• Root themselves in solid bonds and values

to thrive and do remarkable things. 

I can highlight at least five ways to inspire women based on these sources of inspiration.

My study won't stop here. I'd like to hear from more ethnic women in the UK workforce. If this is you, please take the 2-minute survey here. I'll continue to build a body of knowledge to inspire you.

To have a more in-depth conversation with me, or to join me as a guest on LinkedIn Live in the coming months, email me at [email protected].

For today, tell me:

Are there any surprises in this study? Do the findings ring true?

#InspiringWomen

#LICreatorAccelerator

#YOstories

About Dr Yekemi Otaru

Yekemi is an award-winning entrepreneur and co-founder at Doqaru Limited. She is an avid supporter of women in business and is a mentor for businesswomen in the world's poorest countries. Yekemi is a published B2B social media author who inspires her audience to achieve great things through her significant online presence. She is best known for her authentic personal stories and uplifting content. In September 2021, Yekemi was appointed Chancellor at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). She was awarded an honorary doctorate by UWS for her contributions and commitment to higher education and learning in June 2022. Most recently, she won Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the 4th Scottish Women Awards and Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022.