Women’s Equality Day
By Keona Campbell
Celebrated every August 26, Women's Equality Day recognizes women who have faced discrimination, systemic injustice, and violence in their efforts to achieve equal rights. Today, we celebrate the holiday globally to acknowledge the progress we have made on our journey to a more inclusive and diverse future and the progress we still have to make - especially for women of color.
With the intersectionality of race and gender, women of color face occupational and economic disadvantages that lead to challenges in their work experiences and barriers to leadership. According to McKinsey's Women in the Workplace 2021 report:
Between the entry-level and the C-suite, the representation of women of color drops by more than 75 percent. As a result, women of color account for only 4 percent of C-suite leaders, a number that hasn't moved significantly in the past three years.
85 Women of color are promoted for every 100 men promoted to management. Only 58 Black women are promoted.
It's crucial to our Reimagine Talent Co. team that we create solutions geared towards building an equitable workplace environment for all. For this reason, this year, we partnered with a global consultancy called Mettacool, which provides development and coaching programs that advance equity, inclusion, and well-being in the workplace. With Mettacool, we supported the design and development of their women of color leadership program. This 9-month cohort-based program focuses on building self-awareness, self-advocacy, resiliency, strategic networks, and well-being as foundational skills for long-term career success. We are proud to be a part of such an impactful program to advance women of color in the workplace.
TAKE ACTION l DRIVE PROGRESS
Here are four ways you can work towards advancing women of color in your workplace:
Listen to women of color - Provide safe spaces for women of color to feel seen and heard. The steps beyond listening and asking questions without judgment are to take accountability and ensure they are represented in decisions across your organization.
Educate yourself - Don't rely on women of color to educate you. Instead, take the initiative to enhance your learning journey by reading stories and listening to podcasts by women of color and by diversifying the media you follow.
Challenge your HR policies and practices - When HR policies and practices such as hiring, performance reviews, family planning support, carers leave, flexible work options, and pay are equitable, they allow for a more inclusive workplace.
Support women to become leaders - Support women of color getting into leadership roles by sponsoring them, promoting them, providing them with coaching, and developing their professional skills.
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