[Diversity & Inclusion - Mental Health] Why Black Women Are Really Abandoning Corporate America

A psychological and emotional toll that’s too high to pay

By Stacey Tisdale

How would you feel if you got sent home from work because of the way you styled your hair? (This happens to Black women at nearly twice the rate of other groups according to Dove) How would you feel if you were repeatedly interrupted, shut down, and asked questions that made you feel like a species from another planet? How would you feel if you were constantly pitted against your sisters for that ‘one spot’ at the top? 

Even worse, how would you feel if you’re brain figured out that the only way to survive was to actually deny who you are and assimilate in order to fit into your surroundings, all on the backdrop of being one of the most underpaid, financially burdened, and socially abused groups in the country?

Enough

(Source: Working Mother Media)

More and more Black women are saying, “I can’t feel like that anymore,” and exiting corporate America in droves.

While most of us are familiar with factors like the pay gap, the ‘Black Ceiling,’ and the often-discussed systemic barriers Black women face, few realize that for many, leaving the workplace has become a question of their mental and emotional survival.

“It's a double bind. No matter what you do, you're damned. You stay silent. That's a problem. You speak out. says Tracy Laszloffy, Ph.D, from The Center For Relationship Healing.

“There's no way to be that is acceptable and that you will be validated and rewarded for. That is the nature of oppression. There is no option you can choose that is considered acceptable. That is the dilemma,” she adds.

A dilemma Dr. Laszloffy says is forcing Black women to choose between unbearable psychological and emotional stress or leaving corporate cultures to create their own work environment.

“The reality is that it requires one to adapt to the values and norms of that system just to survive,” she adds.

The Mind-Body Connection

It’s not just emotional and mental survival. Dr. Gina Torino, Associate Professor of Psychology, SUNY Empire State, points out that physical well-being is also under assault.

“What we’ve found is that the physiological impacts are really great with respect to the heart disease, high blood pressure, and insomnia experienced by African-American people in organizations,” says Torino.

Research has also found that constant exposure to factors such as microaggressions and code-switching – changing an aspect of one’s behavior in order to fit in – contribute to chromosomal changes and pre-mature death in Black women.

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Wake-Up Call

Corporate America has never been ‘better intentioned when it comes to creating inclusive corporate cultures. The George Floyd murder has ushered in a shift in consciousness that has also created a forum for conversations like the mental health of Black women.

“It's a huge problem for corporate America if you just look at the Census data and who is in the workforce…Women of color, Black and brown men make up a huge part of that,” says Jackie Glenn, Founder/CEO, Glenn Diversity, Glenn Diversity, and HR Solutions.

“So for them to be exiting organizations at such a huge rate is going to affect productivity, it’s going to affect innovation. This is real…something that we really have to have courageous conversations about,” Glenn adds.

Black Women and The Bottom Line

The Census Bureau predicts that in the United States, Whites will be the minority by 2044, and currently 48% of the members of  Generation Z – post Millennials between the ages of 6 and 21 – are from communities of color.

It’s perplexing that so many corporations around the globe continue to look at diversity and inclusion as a problem or an aspiration when it is simply nature.

Companies that truly understand this, and embrace the reality of the demographic make-up of the emerging U.S. consumer, are not only reaping revenue rewards, but they are also creating inclusive corporate cultures that are more likely to retain Black women.