Black women in big tech suffer from managers’ negative biases
Greater transparency on pay and promotions for Black women working in big tech, financial and professional services is needed to counteract managers’ negative biases, according to a study from London School of Economics and Political Science. The report comprises interviews with Black professional women saying managers often hire to reinforce mirrortocracy’ over meritocracy.
One of the authors, Erika Brodnock, Research Officer at The Inclusion Initiative at LSE, writes that Black women interviewed relayed a sense of needing to work twice as hard to be noticed or given the same opportunities as their peers.
The study was part of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey that highlights Black women as having the lowest probability of being among the top earners in the UK.
“Black women have for far too long been overlooked, and as a result are consistently missing from industry’s C suites, as well as the top 1% of earners”, Brodnock writes.
DATA-DRIVEN CHANGE
”The problems the ‘mirrortocracy’ creates for Black women, their organisations, and the economy at large can no longer be ignored. We do not need more data, we need more data-driven change that is effectively evaluated and leads to an increase in the number of Black women on boards, leading top tier organisations and reaching their full economic potential.”
”One interviewee gave an example of having a secondment into a more senior role during the absence of a colleague and subsequently applying for the permanent position when it became available. She was turned down and told by her manager that she was not ready for the role. However, she was simultaneously asked to train the person who was hired.”
Twenty-one women reported difficulty in being their authentic selves within their organisations. Their experiences involved changing their persona in order to fit in with a company culture that did not accept them.
ATTEMPTS TO CONFORM
17 women interviewed mentioned that despite their attempts to conform to their firm’s standards of dress and hair, they still experienced negative encounters with colleagues. One spoke about being told that they looked far more professional when their hair is worn straight rather than natural. Many interviewees relayed how much energy they spent on a daily basis deciding whether or not to conform.
One woman interviewed is quoted:
“If you are able to show up for work without having to worry about how colleagues or clients judge your natural hair……then that is a privilege you can enjoy. Others can’t.”
The study, led by Erik Brodnock and Dr Grace Lordan, from The Inclusion Initiative at LSE, interviewed 38 Black women at various stages in their career across financial and professional services and big technology.
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