3 Strategies to Help Women of Color Navigate Biases at Work

People who belong to stigmatized minority groups often experience a “stereotype threat,” or fear of confirming negative stereotypes associated with their social group. Historically, women leaders have faced gender stereotypes that have interfered with the general perception of their competence and held them to higher standards in evaluations and intense internal scrutiny by women themselves. Women of color have to contend with additional pejorative stereotypes. While the responsibility for leveling the playing field lies first and foremost with company leaders, women of color can adopt strategies to survive and succeed in spite of the inequity they face. The author describes a few of the obstacles women of color experience at work and presents tips for addressing them.