I ABSTRACT
Gender equality is a foundational pillar of progressive and modern 21st century societies and it is clear that we have come a long way from where we were. More and more women have gone to school, there is greater agency for women, more women are advancing in the workplace and undertaking various forms of leadership, and legislative bodies have become more receptive to issues of inequality faced by women.[1] However, the landscape of equality remains rough terrain and there is still a long way to go, especially for women of colour and First Nations women. Just over 100 years ago, with the ratification of the 19th amendment of the US Constitution, women won their right to vote, with this amendment being particularly significant for women of colour. Although the earlier 15th amendment indicated voting rights despite race, they still could not vote due to their gender. The need for two constitutional amendments to allow women of colour to vote, aptly highlights the extra set of challenges women of colour face due to both their gender and race.[2] This notion can be seen especially in the modern workplace, where women have progressed far more than we have ever seen, but women of colour and Indigenous women continue to face various types of discrimination and are lagging far behind in this fight for equality.
II EXPERIENCES FACED BY WOMEN OF COLOUR AND INDIGENOUS WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE
There must be a deeper understanding of the challenges women of colour and indigenous women face in the workplace. This will allow for resolutions to current issues whilst creating genuine awareness.
The following graphical depictions taken from the Women in the Workplace research conducted by McKinsey & Company in 2021 reveal two key trends.
Firstly, the representation of women across the corporate ladder has increased an average of 3%. However, although there is a slight increase, this is not large enough to establish an equal footing of men and women within the workplace. Women still remain underrepresented within the corporate ladder.[3]
Secondly, it can be seen that despite the progress of women in taking on higher positions within the workplace, women of colour are far fewer, and are outnumbered by both their male and female counterparts as evidenced by the figure above.[4] Even at the first step of manager, women of colour are already outnumbered by 5 in comparison to white women, and C-suite level this gap shockingly reaches 9. This highlights a systemic issue of underrepresentation in the workplace of women of colour within these senior roles and also the severe lack of opportunity of real progression in their professional careers when compared to other women and men.
Whilst there is increasing discussions around workplace equality with many companies introducing diversity policies and ratios of women to men, it is clear that the persistent traumatic challenges and unfair treatment faced by women of colour and Indigenous women remain largely unaddressed. These core issues need to be understood, and address to combat discrimination more effectively.[5]
i. DOUBLE AND TRIPLE JEOPARDY: THE TWOFOLD NATURE OF DISCRIMINATION[6]
Women of colour not only face discrimination resulting from gender but also due to their race. This phenomenon has been coined ‘double jeopardy’ by feminist activist Frances M. Beal, who in her renowned 1969 essay exposes how the more marginalised an individual is, the greater the risk of exploitation.[7] This exploitation includes women of colour being in professional positions with lower remuneration, lesser prestige and lesser power than white men.[8] Further research in the 2006 report in The Journal of Applied Psychology by Jennifer L. Berdahl and Celia Moore explored the concept of double jeopardy revealing how the combined experiences of racism and misogyny created compounding effects on women of colour.
Shocking statistics were found in the “Workplace Survey Report” prepared by Dr. Catherine Archer in collaboration with Murdoch University in 2021,[9] which surveyed 543 women of colour, with 7% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander (ATSI). With 60% of the women reported having faced discrimination, only 30% believed that their identity as a woman of colour was valued, which reveals that workplaces are not valuing or actively promoting the immense strength that diversity of identity and culture bring. Further, 57% believed the challenges they faced were specifically related to their identity not only as a woman but as a woman of colour. Notably, 57% of respondents said that the leader of their organisation was a man who was not a person of colour, 26% said it was a woman who was not a person of colour, and shockingly around 7% said the leader was a woman of colour. These results highlight just how far behind women still are as leaders in the workplace, and how women of colour are even further behind.
A further survey released by the Diversity Council of Australia and the University of Technology Sydney's Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research found that 59% of ATSI workers have experienced racism at work due to their appearance and almost a third reported feeling culturally unsafe in their workplace. It also found that only 1 in 5 worked in organisations where racism focused complaint procedures and anti-discrimination compliance training in relation to Indigenous discrimination and harassment were in place[10], evidently Australian organisations are not recognising the severity of the issue and the need for change. The 2021 gendered version of this report, ‘Gari Yala’,[11] also revealed that female Indigenous carers experience ‘triple jeopardy’[12] in that 3 aspects of their identity- namely, female, Indigenous, and carer- leave them at a greater chance of feeling unsafe in the workplace, shouldering extra expectations to make their workplace culturally sensitive and are less supported when racism and discrimination occur. When organisations do not value cultural diversity, it was found that Indigenous working women are 10 times more likely to be treated unfairly at work and around 20 times more likely to hear racial or ethnic slurs. Dr. Olivia Evans, the author of the report highlights that the underrepresentation of ATSI women in the workplace may to an extent be explained through this research.[13]
ii. MICROAGGRESSIONS
A common issue for women of colour and Indigenous women across the globe are microaggressions which manifest as micro-assaults, micro-insults, micro-invalidations, micro-suspicions, micro-burdens, and micro-acts of exclusion.[14] Microaggressions can best be described as subtle actions, humour, or comments that are aimed at singling out individuals, creating discomfort and communicate negative attitudes towards groups of people; racial microaggressions are described as passive or casual racism.[15] These racial microaggressions often contain elements of racism and misogyny which are ignored or are a daily part of many women of colours’ professional lives. A key aspect of such behaviour is that women often find themselves questioning whether it was all “in their minds” due to the constant but subtle nature of the behaviour.[16] Some examples gathered through research include women of colour being treated differently in group settings, being told they were hired to fulfil a ‘diversity quota’ and not because of their talent, being treated as troublemakers when subtle acts of racism are spoken out about, having to work twice as hard to achieve the same promotion or prestige[17] and being left out of important correspondence or group events.
The Workplace Survey Report highlighted similar trends, showing that even women of colour who are in relatively senior positions were still victims to these constant microaggressions and are often undermined by their colleagues held to higher standards, burdened with proving themselves and given less support. It also showed that 65% of women believed that HR would not address their concerns if they were raised leaving them with no choice but to leave the workplace.[18]
iii. CODE SWITCHING
Women of colour may resort to ‘code switching’ to try and combat these issues. Code switching occurs when an individual tries to fit into predominantly ‘white spaces’ by concealing parts of their identity and adapting their mannerisms, behaviour and appearance to mitigate the negative stereotypes associated with their cultural identity. This was evidence in a survey by Indeed where 62% of employees admitted to concealing a part of their identity within their workplace.[19] This concealment may include changing what they eat at work, what they wear, taking days off for cultural holidays, avoiding connections to their ethnicity.
Women of colour should feel able to celebrate their diversity and uniqueness but instead they are placed in situations where they feel the need to assimilate with their counterparts to be recognised, to avoid microaggressions, or to be promoted within their workplace. Workplaces should be environments where individual identity is celebrated for their uniqueness not concealed in fear of discrimination.
Evidently, women of colour and Indigenous women experience the workplace through a very particular lens, facing a set of challenges and forms of oppression unique to them. Their experience is specific to the way that gender and race intersects, and it is clear that these issues have underlying causes which need to be understood and dealt with on both a business level and personal level in each individual.
III THE WAY FORWARD
Having understood the issues faced by women of colour and indigenous women in the workplace, the next key question is how these challenges can be addressed and all employees could be better equipped to identify discrimination and challenge it as it occurs.
This change needs to occur top-down but also bottom-up. The attitudes of leadership in companies and workplaces needs to change along with a deep cultural shift infiltrating the whole business. Female employees of colour and First Nations women need to be better equipped to recognise discrimination and speak out to take their rightful place in workplaces based on their merit and hard work.
i. TOP DOWN CHANGE
Modern leaders of today in both the private and public sectors could play an important role in implementing the necessary reforms needed for change. They must question potential attitudes and biases that may influence their choices and actions within the workplace. The culture that is passed down from management often resonates with employees. A study done into Company Culture Statistics in 2022, affirmed this notion, with findings revealing that managers largely determine quality of team culture and that there was a 70% difference in quality of culture between companies that had great leaders and those that did not.[20] Therefore in order for women to work in an environment free from prejudice and discrimination, workplace leaders must promote a culture of inclusivity, diversity and unbiased recognition of hard work and talent. Leaders must seek to look outside of their immediate networks and alliances, to recognise women of colour as they may have gone unrecognised due to the prejudices that they face, and advocate for them to lead.[21]
Changes to discrimination policies, diversity policies and complaint policies are also important, especially due to their reported ineffectiveness as revealed in the research that has been discussed. Recognising different forms of racism, discrimination and harassment, such as discrimination against Indigenous women, is crucial in enabling women to feel comfortable in coming forward with issues they face in the workplace. Diversity and contributions from women of colour should be celebrated openly in the workplace, not just with praise, but with continued mentorship and promotion.
Businesses and workplaces need to understand the value these women bring to the table namely their unique lived experiences of issues in the workplace, understandings and ideas resulting from their different perspectives. Interestingly, a recent survey by the Diversity Council found that only 25% of diversity programs often or always work,[22] which is shockingly low, when compared with the statistic that over 84% of organisations in Australia say they are focused on improving diversity and inclusion.[23] This raises the questions, when changes to diversity and inclusivity policies are implemented, how often are actual lived experiences and voices taken into consideration? If the people that these policies aim to impact are not involved in the decision making, how can such policies and practices be effective?
There also needs to be greater education surrounding culture, especially that of indigenous culture. Identifying gaps in understanding of culture and cultural load within an organisation is key to helping indigenous women feel supported and included within their workplace, allowing them to flourish and thrive.[24] This understanding of the cultural load Indigenous women carry is crucial as evidenced by the Gari Yala study which revealed that ATSI women had the highest cultural load.[25] Associate Professor Richard Frankland, Head of Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the University of Melbourne, describes cultural load as the seemingly invisible loads that cultures or demographics carry, and for Indigenous people this may be discrimination and loss of language and culture.[26]
Creating effective and open avenues for reporting and counselling when issues of discrimination and harassment arise is crucial to unearthing the harsh truths about what’s occurring within a workplace and addressing them promptly. If women do not feel confident in processes which hold perpetrators accountable, discriminatory behaviour will continue and a perpetual cycle of prejudice and bias emerges and becomes deep-rooted in mainstream culture.
As leaders within workplaces, they are faced with the imperative responsibility to be an integral part of this change and be an ally to these marginalised women, helping make amends to the prejudices that have occurred. They can be a better, genuine ally by speaking up, educating themselves on the challenges that are faced by these women, recognising wen issues such as microaggressions occur and encouraging women to speak up without fear of consequences. The smallest of gestures such as checking in with a female employee, highlighting no reluctance to discuss difficult issues and showing utmost support could create the opportunity a woman has been looking for to speak up, and create change.
ii. BOTTOM- UP CHANGE
Women of colour and Indigenous women can be the first point of change in their fight for equality. Finding their voices is the first step to change. When many women speak up within their workplace, not only do they raise awareness, but they create solidarity with other women who also face similar challenges. These two things together can be powerful in driving change in an environment which is firmly rooted in ways of historical prejudice.
Secondly, holding leaders accountable to their attitudes, actions, policies and practices is key to voicing their concerns. If diversity is to be celebrated and women of colour and indigenous women are to feel included and valued, policies and practices which are put in place by leadership need to be supportive of this.
Above all, women of colour and indigenous women who face these challenges in a workplace need to feel heard, to know that their experiences are valid and recognised. Each and every one of us, no matter our gender or race, hold a responsibility to speak up and listen.
IV CONCLUSION
It is clear that gender equality has definitely progressed over the years, and definitely since the birth of universal suffrage. However, in our current world, women of colour are still facing age-old challenges, compounded by not only their gender but also their race. The horrific experiences, and daily struggles faced by women of colour and First Nations women, as revealed through an extensive body of research are truly saddening, revealing a toxic culture within workplaces. However, analogous to the progress made with regard to women in the workplace, such progress can still be made for women of colour and Indigenous women. By implementing changes both at a leadership level and individual level, it can be ensured that the mistakes of the past are not carried through generations. To the leaders, change starts with you, be aware, listen and change attitudes starting from yourself. To all women of colour and Indigenous women who have faced such unique challenges due to the intersection of gender and race, recognise your own immense value in identity, speak up, form community and be heard.
[1] ‘United Nations: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment’, United Nations Sustainable Development (Web Page) <https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/>.
[2] Adia Wingfield, ‘Women Are Advancing in the Workplace, but Women of Color Still Lag Behind’, Brookings (Webpage, 9 October 2020) <https://www.brookings.edu/essay/women-are-advancing-in-the-workplace-but-women-of-color-still-lag-behind/>.
[3] Tiffany Burns et al, ‘Women in the Workplace 2021’ (Webpage, 27 September 2021) <https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace>.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Saman Shad, ‘For Many Women of Colour the Workplace Is Full of Challenges’, Topics (Webpage, 28 June 2021) <https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2021/06/26/many-women-colour-workplace-full-challenges>.
[6]Hanieh Khosroshahi, ‘The Concrete Ceiling (SSIR)’ (Webpage, 10 May 2021) <https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_concrete_ceiling>.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] ‘Workplace Survey Report 2021’, Women of Colour Australia (2021) <https://womenofcolour.org.au/workplace-survey-report-2021/>.
[10] Brown, C et al, ‘Gari Yala (Speak the Truth): Centreing the Experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians at Work’ [2020] Diversity Council Australia <https://www.dca.org.au/research/project/gari-yala-speak-truth-centreing-experiences-aboriginal-andor-torres-strait-islander>.
[11] Olivia Evans and Shelby Houghton, ‘Australian-First Research on Indigenous Women’s Working Lives Reveals Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mums and Carers Most at Risk at Work’ | WGEA’ (26 October 2021) <https://www.wgea.gov.au/newsroom/gari-yala-research-released>.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Ibid; Alicia Vrajlal, ‘From Racism To Carrying The Burden To Educate — The Challenges Faced By Indigenous Women At Work’ <https://www.refinery29.com/en-au/2021/10/10725871/indigenous-women-racism-workplace>.
[14] Kathomi Gatwiri, ‘6 Microaggressions People See in the Workplace’, Topics <https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2021/04/19/microagressions-workplace-make-people-second-guess-themselves>.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Ibid; Kathomi Gatwiri, ‘Battlegrounds: Highly Skilled Black African Professionals on Racial Microaggressions at Work’, The Conversation (11 January 2021) <http://theconversation.com/battlegrounds-highly-skilled-black-african-professionals-on-racial-microaggressions-at-work-149169>.
[17] Shad n (5); Gatwiri n (14).
[18] Shad n (5).
[19] Shad n (5).
[20] Company Culture Statistics 2022: Leadership, Engagement | Teamstage", Teamstage (Webpage, 2022) < https://teamstage.io/company-culture statistics/#:~:text=Statistics%20on%20company%20culture%20show,lousy%20and%20great%20team%20leaders.>
[21] Khosroshahin n (6).
[22] Sally Patten, "Company Culture Statistics 2022: Leadership, Engagement | Teamstage", Teamstage (Webpage, 2022) < https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/management/companies-wasting-millions-on-diversity-programs-20190719-p528ry.>
[23] Despite Much Talk, Diversity & Inclusion Efforts Are Falling Short", Consultancy.Com.Au (Webpage, 2020) < https://www.consultancy.com.au/news/2626/despite-much-talk-diversity-inclusion-efforts-are-falling-short>.
[24] ‘From Racism to Carrying The Burden To Educate — The Challenges Faced By Indigenous Women At Work’ n (14).
[25] ‘Gari Yala (Speak the Truth): Centreing the Experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians at Work’ (n10); Gari Yala (Speak The Truth): Gendered Insights | WGEA", (Webpage, 2021) https://www.wgea.gov.au/publications/gari-yala-speak-the-truth-genderedinsights#:~:text=Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20women%20had%20significantly%20less%20support,related%20to%20culture%20and%20identity>.
[26]Faculty Music, About us and Five Frankland, "Five Deadly Questions For Richard Frankland", Faculty Of Fine Arts And Music (Webpage, 2018) < https://finearts-music.unimelb.edu.au/about-us/news/five-deadly-questions-for-richard-frankland#:~:text=Cultural%20loads%20are%20the%20invisible,loss%20of%20language%20and%20culture>.