Look closely around your (virtual) office, fellow professionals. Do you see the gaping hole in your senior leadership positions? Do you see the missing element in your organization’s diversity and inclusion goals? Yes, let’s talk about the missing women of color in senior leadership positions.
In 2020, women of color represented 18% of entry-level positions, but few advanced to leadership positions. While white women held almost one-third of total management positions in the U.S. in 2020, women of color held a much smaller share: • Asian women: 2.2%. • Black women: 4.1%. • Hispanic women: 4.5%.
According to McKinsey, this underrepresentation of women of color in senior management cannot be explained by attrition alone. Then what can explain this gap? What are the factors preventing women of color from advancing at work? How are these factors different from those holding white women or even men of color back?
While there has been significant awareness and progress made to advance representation of white women and men of color in the workplace, we have left women of color behind by not focusing on their unique barriers and needs. Fortunately, companies are beginning to take note and are putting in measures to address this gap.
Join this talk to learn more about the factors impacting women of color in the workplace and how companies are driving greater inclusion in senior management positions. Let’s talk about how we can drive similar awareness and progress at our organizations.