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Black and Asian women are severely underrepresented in senior leadership positions in the UK. The obstacles they face, for example being overlooked or underestimated, often result in a perception that career success is beyond their reach. It’s no surprise then that these women can end up feeling invisible and powerless.
Unlike white women, who face “glass ceilings”, research shows ethnic minority women, who have less support and even fewer opportunities to advance, encounter “concrete ceilings” or “concrete walls”, which are more difficult to break.
These women often find prejudices blocking their path and impeding their progress to senior positions. Unsurprisingly, being constantly overlooked despite being competent can severely damage their leadership aspirations.
So how do these women shield themselves from the frustration and marginalisation that comes with the racial and gender prejudice they face? And how do they actually achieve career success?
To understand this, in our recent research we interviewed 50 ethnic minority women in senior leadership positions. Our findings revealed persistent discrimination from early career stages right through to the upper echelons of the workplace.
Early in their careers the women faced discriminatory experiences such as lack of management support, being openly mocked for their aspirations and being overlooked for promotion. They also reported a lack of opportunities for development, progression or networking. And they were often left with the sense that other staff were preferred.
This evolved at later career stages into harsher and more derogatory experiences such as excessive scrutiny, invisibility, isolation, not being supported and being undermined. Sometimes, they were simply dismissed as a “diversity hire”.
Contrary to the belief that once you reach the pinnacle of your career, you’re less likely to experience discrimination and microaggressions, our findings showed that for Black and Asian women in the UK the opposite is true.
Some participants in our study especially felt they had faced more hostility later in their career, with one saying she “really began to feel the heat” when she reached a senior level. Another said the negativity became clearer as she progressed, noting: “there’s definitely a sense of … let’s say, ‘how did you get this position?’ It can be quite frustrating that people don’t think you’re senior.”
Rather than enjoying a “shield” from the power they had earned, they felt it opened them up to further scrutiny, discrimination and subtle forms of racism and harassment. These experiences had a negative effect on their health, wellbeing and career outcomes. They even caused some to leave their job.
Strategies for success
Our study did however offer some positives. Through exploring Black and Asian women’s career journeys and pathways, we identified strategies and attributes that enabled them to climb the career ladder. This contributed to our understanding of Black and Asian women’s agency and the motivation that empowers them as they pursue their career goals.
Particularly, our findings revealed certain cognitive processes such as making strategic career decisions, self-advocacy and resilience, helped these women challenge boundaries, especially in the face of knockbacks.
For these women to be successful it was important to have leadership aspirations and goals from very early on in their careers. As one participant told us: “It is very important to set yourself a personal goal and work to achieve it … so long as you have your eye on that goal, you pick yourself up and continue, you would achieve it.”
Participants in our study also emphasised the importance of having the confidence to ask and self-advocate. One of our interviewees stressed that Black and Asian women cannot wait to be “offered something on a plate” but should put themselves forward for opportunities when they meet the criteria.
Strategising also helped participants navigate challenges and excel in leadership roles. As one participant put it: “I decided which rooms I wanted to be in, and I make sure that I’m in rooms which give me something and which nourish me.”
Resilience and emotional intelligence became particularly relevant at late career stages, and this included having strong personal and professional networks. This was because of the increasing experiences of discrimination as they reached the upper levels of their careers.
There are, of course, actions that organisations need to take to support Black and Asian women in progressing in their careers. First, they need to develop an environment that prevents double standards, where Black and Asian women attaining leadership positions is normal and openly accepted.
Second, organisations should look more closely at performance, recognising Black and Asian women for extra work that they do that is often unacknowledged.
Third, we encourage organisations to create an effective reporting system, which is safe and confidential so that women can raise their concerns without the fear of backlash.
Finally, accountability is key and employers should have mechanisms to tackle people, systems and processes that are discriminatory.
By exploring the career success stories of these trailblazing participants, we have uncovered suggestions that could improve the representation of ethnic minority women in leadership positions at work. Our research also offers an opportunity for young Black and Asian women to reflect on their own career goals, and chart out strategic routes to achieving them.
Professor Lilian Otaye-Ebede has previously received funding from organisations such as the ESRC.
Samah Shaffakat does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
