‘Like walking a tightrope’: Black women are sick and hurt because they are overlooked and limited at work

One Black woman’s story of being overlooked at work touched the Grio family and sparked an age-old debate about workplace discrimination. Cue the collective, deep, exhausted spiritual sigh of the Negro.

Taking on a job as a Black woman, whether in person or virtually, can feel like going into battle. Black employees, and especially Black women, are forced to navigate the natural challenges that each job brings while dodging waves of microaggressions and stereotypes, hitting the proverbial glass ceiling, and more.

As creator Regina Lawless describes it, being a black woman within the workplace “is like walking a tightrope.” Lawless can be the founder Domineering and completely happya company dedicated to helping high-achieving Black women achieve intended and lasting success at work and at home,

She said she uses the outline of a rope “because you’ve got a very narrow path to walk on, and any false move in a certain direction can expose you. In such environments, white male leaders are the archetype of what leadership is. So as a black woman, not only do you’ve got to fight the stereotype of (being) a woman, which most often means you are not seen as having leadership potential,” she explained. “(But you also) fight against stereotypes that you have to be dominant and strong. But of course, if you are too dominant and forceful, especially as a black woman, it works against you because of the negative stereotypes that we are angry and aggressive.”

As previously reported on theGrio, some black women, akin to Chantel Adams, were denied promotions because they were “so articulate and bright that it was intimidating to some people.” Adams, like many black women within the workplace, did every part in her power to be a successful and productive worker by taking up extra responsibilities, turning in work on time, etc. Although she followed unspoken guidelines for climbing the company ladder, those in higher positions still found an excuse to maintain it stagnant.

Featured Stories

“They need us smaller so they can feel tall! “Who she is disrupts their idea that we are less than them,” one person commented theGrio post on Facebook. “They can’t handle it.”

“Yet we always had to be ten times better to even get the job. “There is nothing more intimidating than POC being smarter than the majority race,” one other commenter added.

Lawless, like many users within the comments section, mentions countless times that she was overlooked by colleagues despite her work and authority as a technology director. Experts call this the “broken rung” theory, which reflects the proverbial glass ceiling that women face when attempting to take step one up the company ladder. According to McKinsey & Company, “For every 100 men we see moving forward, only 87 women will advance. And should you’re a woman of color, that is 73 years old. If you are a black woman, it’s only 54 years.” This theory dovetails with the well-known wage gap that black women still face.

Whether your goal is advancement, the array of stereotypes and microaggressions that Black women experience can create a toxic and ultimately uncomfortable environment that may have a lasting impact on women’s mental health.

“What starts to occur just isn’t only do you’re feeling like you do not slot in, but it surely disrupts our psyche because as human beings all of us need to belong somewhere. A way of exclusion, actually registers as physical pain in our brainLawless explained. “So you’ve got something that’s interfering together with your mental health. And then you’ve got gas lighting.

The Bossy & Blissful founder shared how her boss not only ignored her reports of workplace incidents, but in addition responded with racially discriminatory comments, which she felt further diminished her feelings of disrespect in that office.

While leaving these environments looks as if a easy solution, the truth is today’s labor markett, combined with the responsibilities of most black women the major breadwinners of the family, forces women to remain in such situations.

“I still had to support my family,” Lawless said, reflecting on her toxic work experiences. “It also hurts your mental health because a lot of us as black women, our caregivers, just walk away from these toxic spaces.”

So for Black women attempting to survive in corporate America, where they struggle with microaggressions, stereotypes and more, Lawless offers three pieces of recommendation:

1. Develop a every day self-care routine. Make sure you spend time with yourself at the start of the day to ground yourself. This could possibly be exercise, meditation, music, journaling or reading – whatever brings you joy and gives you quiet time to attach with yourself.
2. Ask for feedback from a trusted source. Find someone at work you possibly can trust to offer you honest feedback to verify any biased opinions chances are you’ll receive out of your boss or co-workers. Sometimes the best way we speak or behave may be unfairly judged against biased standards, so it is vital to get feedback on the substance or actual consequence or impact to see if you could refine any skills to be effective on this field.
3. Look for affirming spaces. Whether it’s joining an worker resource group at work or finding community outside of work, meeting like-minded people is a solution to offset the isolation we frequently face as Black women in leadership positions or coping with constant microaggressions. Ultimately, nevertheless, if the environment is unbearable, it’s best to search for a way out. No title or amount of cash is value your sanity or dignity.