Multicultural Women at...

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Multicultural Women at Work

THE WORKING MOTHER REPORT

M U LT I C U LT U R A L W O M E N AT W O R K : T H E W O R K I N G M O T H E R R E P O RT 1

COVER: DAVE & LES JACOBS/BLEND IMAGES/CORBIS

2 Director’s Letter

3 Deloitte Welcome

4 MULTICULTURAL WOMEN AT WORK: The Working Mother Report

7 WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE: Professional Development, Advancement and Pay

10 WHAT’S MISSING FOR MULTICULTURAL WOMEN: Mentors, Sponsors, Networks and Advancement Programs

15 WHAT STEREOTYPES REMAIN: The Experience of Being a Multicultural Woman at Work

18 WHAT’S NEXT: How Companies Can Respond

20 Methodology

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 W O R K I N G M O T H E R R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

Dear Friends,

I’m proud to present the results of our new Working Mother Research Institute study, Multicultural Women at Work: The Working Mother Report.

Within three decades, racial minorities are projected to outnumber whites in the United States, but at most companies, women of color are not advancing to the decision-making ranks in representative numbers. To find out what’s holding them back, we surveyed more than 1,700 women (including 1,370 multicultural women) to learn how satisfied they are with their jobs, what factors make them feel most supported and enthusiastic about their work and how their employers can retain them and help them advance.

We found that more than half of the professional, educated women of color who took our survey are open to the idea of leaving their current jobs. This flight risk is not inevitable, however. Advancement programs, mentoring and well-sup-ported networking groups are all key to making multicultural women more satis-fied in their jobs—and pay raises are key to convincing them to stay.

I want to thank survey sponsor Deloitte for working with us on setting the stra-tegic vision for this study, developing the themes and questions explored in this research, reviewing the survey results for significant trends and participating in numerous individual interviews.

We invite you to study and share this Working Mother Research Institute report for vital insights into the current status of American professional women of color. Please visit workingmother.com/wmri to download this and all of the Working Mother Research Institute’s important studies.

Jennifer OwensDirectorWorking Mother Research Institute


In today’s business environment, hard work is expected. However, some employees find themselves with two jobs: the one they are paid to do and the other, navigating the perceived complexities of their diverse identities. This can be true of anyone—whether you are a member of the LGBT or veteran community, have a disability or are a person of color.

According to the Working Mother Research Institute report Multicultural Women at Work: The Working Mother Report, this is especially true for multicultural women.

With our workforces becoming increasingly diverse, this research makes it abundantly clear that multicultural women are an important and largely untapped resource for organizations across corporate America. Frankly, business leaders may simply be challenged by how best to harness the power of this growing talent pool.

Do organizations allow women of color to bring their authentic selves to work each day? Do organizations offer them meaningful work and opportunities to utilize their strengths? Do organizations provide mentorship and sponsorship support to ensure that they are included in the leadership pipeline?

I don’t know of a single organization that can answer all of those questions with a resounding “yes,” which is one of the reasons why Deloitte proudly sponsors this research. While we have a rich history of inclusion throughout our organization, we recognize that there is much more work to be done by all of us.

Through this research, the Working Mother Research Institute is continuing to drive the conversation around the business case impact of inclusion in today’s world of work. However, we all recognize that research alone is not enough. So pay particular attention to the final section, “How Companies Can Respond.” It offers five very concrete suggestions, including a clear vision of leadership for multicultural women. I hope you’ll do more than read them—I hope you’ll get your organizations to act on them.

Multicultural women have a lot to offer our businesses; let’s encourage them.

Deborah L. DeHaasChief Inclusion OfficerNational Managing Partner, Center for Corporate GovernanceDeloitte LLP


Yvette once worked for a manager who’d never hired a black person before. The giveaway? His repeated praise that she was so articulate.

“I had to pull him aside and say, ‘You know, you’ve got to stop that,’ ” recalls Yvette, who subsequently left that company and now serves as a vice president at a secondary mortgage company. The executive expressed surprise that she disliked the comment, which he meant to be complimentary. “I said, ‘I want you to think back really hard about the last time you told a white person how great it was that they were articulate.’”

The light soon dawned as he realized that he had only rarely ever made such a comment to a white professional.

Such interactions aren’t uncommon for Yvette; nor, say many multicultural women, are such remarks a surprise. Being a woman of color in corporate America means frequently managing other people’s discomfort with your race while gently educating them. “For people of color,” says Yvette, mother to Corey, 20, and Maya, 15, “it’s tough on the psyche.”

This disconnect is just one reason that U.S. employers have trouble hiring, promoting and retaining multicultural women. To better understand the experience and motivations of women of color in the workplace, the Working Mother Research Institute (WMRI),

with support from sponsor Deloitte, surveyed 1,746 employed college-educated women, including more than 1,370 women of color, about the impact of race on their careers. Simply put, Multicultural Women at Work: The Working Mother Report finds a clear flight risk: Only 29 percent of multi-

cultural women surveyed say they will definitely stay with their current com-pany. Meanwhile, fewer than half (48 percent) are satisfied with their ability to move into a better position at their companies, citing a dearth of higher-level openings, difficulty balancing work and life, a male-dominated cul-ture and a lack of mentors or sponsors.

The survey reveals a stark gap between the programs and supports that mul-ticultural women say would help their careers and what’s available. The situation is even more grim when you consider the ambition of survey par-ticipants: 30 percent say they aspire to an executive position at their current company, while 50 percent hope to become an executive in their career.

When Yvette left jobs in the past, her employers always expressed shock, betraying an underlying assumption that she should have been content with the role and responsibilities she was given. Multicultural Women at Work aims to help companies avoid being taken by surprise in this way, offering a full picture of the complex perspectives, drivers, career aspirations and needs of multicultural women in the workforce today. Indeed, beware of thinking these issues don’t apply to your company because your internal human resources surveys have shown glowing results. A full 83 percent of all our survey partici-pants say they are satisfied with their current job; however, more than 7 in 10 are open to leaving.

“You have talent walking out the door,” says Katherine Giscombe, PhD, vice president and women of color practitioner at Catalyst, an organiza-tion focused on improving the numbers of women in powerful positions in busi-ness. “If you don’t create an inclusive environment, you are not going to be

Multicultural Women at WorkTHE WORKING MOTHER REPORT

“Everything you’ve been through really brings that unique blend—I call it the stew of you: the sweet and the sour, the good and the bad—that makes you special for your job, calling and purpose.”NICOLE ROBERTS JONES, COACH WITH MOTIVATING THE MASSES, INTERVIEWED AT THE 2014 MULTICULTURAL WOMEN’S NATIONAL CONFERENCE


CASE STUDY: Carla

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Carla, vice president of marketing at a food company, was on the phone with an advertising agency as it pitched a commercial idea for a breakfast cereal. The setup: Two white scientists in a lab are conducting experiments to make the cereal as chocolatey as possible. When Carla suggested swapping out one white character for a person of color, the response from the production company was certain: “They said, ‘We need it to be a quick read that this is a scientist,’ ” she recalls. “My response was, ‘I’m African American and Hispanic and my mother is a scientist, so I think we have every reason to cast a non-Caucasian as the scientist.’ They were surprised.”

Would an executive without Carla’s personal perspective have noticed the lack of diversity in the storyboard process? Maybe. But could she have shut down the company’s objection as quickly and effectively as she did? Not likely.

able to use diverse perspectives to create a better product.”

In its studies of relationships between white male managers and their female employees, Catalyst found that managers overestimate employee trust in 54 percent of their relation-ships with diverse women versus only 17 percent with white women.

“The more you trust the manager, the more likely you are to stay with the company,” Dr. Giscombe says, noting that the supervisor-employee relation-ship is key to retention and satisfac-tion. “These managers didn’t know

their women of color didn’t trust them. They didn’t know these women were in danger of leaving the company.”

Employers that lose talented mul-ticultural women not only miss the opportunity to build a more inclusive culture, they also face the costs of recruiting, hiring and training replace-ments. As the U.S. population becomes less white and more racially diverse, the perspectives of multicultural employ-ees will only grow increasingly crucial to business success. Recent Census Bureau projections indicate that racial minorities will outnumber whites for

the first time in 2044, and that younger generations are more diverse than previous ones.¹ It’s clear that the future will be an increasingly colorful one.

“We all need to be as creative and forward-thinking as possible to attract talent to our respective companies,” says Julia Cloud, Chicago-based tax partner and national managing partner for Deloitte’s Women’s Initiative. “A fair amount of research has been done on the power of diverse teams to drive creativity and better outcomes.” 1. www.brookings.edu/blogs/the-avenue/posts/2014/12/12-majority-minority-nation-2044-frey


Flight RiskMore than half the multicultural women in our survey say they definitely or possibly plan to leave their companies soon; non-Hispanic white women are most likely to say they’ll stay.

A Snapshot of ParticipantsAll data labeled “Multicultural Women” (MCW) throughout this report include the 1,370 respondents who identify themselves as American Indian, Asian, black, Hispanic and multiracial, as well as native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

YES, DEFINITELY DEFINITELY NOT I’M NOT SUREMAYBE

Do you plan to leave your company in the next 3 years?

Respondents’ Job Roles

90%0% 100%80%10% 70%20% 60%30% 50%40%

White, non-Hispanic 18% 30% 34% 18%

All MCW 22% 33% 29% 16%

Hispanic 21% 35% 33% 12%

Asian 20% 37% 25% 19%

Black 29% 29% 27% 16%

Top 3 reasons MCW consider leaving their current employers:

62% Better pay

52% Better opportunity to advance

35% Better work life balance

55%

• All 1,746 respondents are employed women with at least a bachelor’s degree

• 400 identify themselves as white, non-Hispanic

• Within the set of 1,370 multicultural women, 400 respondents identify as Hispanic, 400 as black and 400 as Asian American (respondents were able to choose multiple categories)

• 89% are employed full-time and 11% part-time

• Respondents’ average tenure in current job is 6 years

• 45% of respondents have at least one child under 18 living at home

• Respondents’ average age is 40

• Respondents’ average household income is $106,400 per year

58% Professional /Technical Non-manager

19% First-line Manager14% Middle Manager

9% Executive

58%

9%

14%

19%


Our survey helps unpack the reasons for work-related dissatisfaction among multicultural women, as well as how companies can improve retention: Salary increases, access to profes-sional development and a clear path to advancement are all areas that diverse employees rate as important, but in which their satisfaction lags.

At 94 percent, multicultural women are nearly unanimous in reporting that pay raises are an important concern for staying at their current company. Indeed, only 57 percent are satisfied with their current level of compensa-tion. (The problem is not unique to women of color; non-Hispanic white women in our survey are similarly con-cerned about salaries.)

Smaller but significant satisfac-tion gaps are also seen in opportu-nities to develop skills (84 percent rate it important; 58 percent are satisfied), professional and leadership

development (82 percent versus 58 percent), senior management being open to different leadership styles (75 percent versus 48 percent) and understanding of how to advance (74 percent versus 52 percent). “I’m the first person to say you should like what you do but you should love what you earn,” says Yvette, who periodically weighs the demands of her job with its compensation. “At the time it doesn’t equal out, I start to search for a new opportunity.”

Barriers Persist Our data are unique in breaking out black, Hispanic and Asian responses, recogniz-ing that diverse women often have very different perspectives and that the expe-riences of each racial group vary. Black women report the highest gap between the career resources and supports they need to advance and the reality of their jobs, followed by Asian American

women and then Hispanic women. Notably, although 51 percent of multi-cultural women have discussed their future aspirations with their supervi-sor or manager, one third have not.

While each woman’s experience varies, black women are more likely to have experienced racial stereotyping and discrimination as compared with Asian or Hispanic women, says Joan Williams, the founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law at UC Hastings College of the Law. “Black women are raised with a sober, open-eyed understanding of social inequality, and that’s some-thing that white women often lack—and so do Asian American women and sometimes Latinas,” says Williams, whose areas of research include gender and racial discrimination in the work-place. “If you’re a high-status, light-skinned Latina in the United States you may face less discrimination [than darker skinned minorities].”

WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE:

Professional Development, Advancement and Pay

Salary increase 1%

2%

2%

3%

3%

4%

4%

4%

6%

5%

7%

9%

9%

Access to professional development

Clear career paths to advancement

Ability to get ahead

Culture that is open to diverse styles

Commitment to diversity

Corporate responsibility and social engagement

Role models at higher levels of the company

More paid time off

Management or supervisory role

Greater flexibility in how work is done

Greater flexibility in where work is done

Greater flexibility in when work is done

IMPORTANT UNIMPORTANT NEITHER

Retention RiddleHigher salary is the No. 1 factor multicultural women identify as important to keeping them in their jobs, followed by access to professional development opportunities.

90%0% 100%80%10% 70%20% 60%30% 50%40%

94%

84%

83%

82%

78%

78%

75%

74%

74%

72%

71%

70%

67%


CASE STUDY: MariselaBeing in technology, Marisela often finds herself one of the only females in the room, as well as the only Hispanic. Marisela, director of infrastructure services for a financial services and insurance company, actively reminds colleagues and supervisors to recruit, develop, compensate and promote diverse women. Says Marisela, “I try to make people aware we need to focus on developing females in technology, hiring women in our organization and then retaining them once they’re here.”

Satisfaction vs. Opportunity Among the three largest groups of multicultural women in our survey, we find significant gaps between the opportunities that respondents say would be helpful to them and how satisfied they are with the offerings from their current employers.

n SATISFIED n HELPFUL

Black Women Latinas Asian-American Women

Opportunity to develop my skills58% 67% 54%

88% 84% 81%

Ability to network with multicultural women

48% 59% 39%78% 69% 57%

Ability to network with women48% 61% 42%

77% 70% 59%

Attending external conferences for women in leadership positions

42% 53% 37%74% 69% 60%

Access to senior women at other companies

39% 50% 33%63% 62% 52%

Access to senior women within my company

45% 58% 42%68% 66% 54%

Opportunity to serve on an external nonprofit board

36% 47% 32%54% 55% 46%

Opportunity to serve on an external for-profit board

36% 47% 32%51% 55% 44%

Profit-and-loss responsibility40% 50% 37%

53% 62% 51%

Senior management open to different styles of leadership

46% 60% 43%81% 74% 73%

Senior management open to promoting people who look

different from them

44% 58% 44%77% 73% 69%

A better understanding of what is required to advance

53% 61% 46%79% 76% 72%

A sponsor34% 34% 30%

67% 66% 57%

A mentor40% 54% 38%

75% 71% 65%

Opportunity for a global experience or international

assignment

39% 50% 41%63% 73% 63%

Professional/leadership development

56% 70% 54%84% 84% 79%

Ability to network with women of the same race as me

47% 58% 38%75% 67% 56%


African American women also carry the legacy of slavery, in both the institutional barriers they face and their more meager wealth compared with other racial groups. Being in a less secure place financially impacts an employee’s economic security and ability to survive a job loss. “We just don’t have historically the same level of resources as others in this country, including the ones who voluntarily immigrated,” says Catalyst’s Dr. Giscombe, who herself is black.

Typically, women of color experience subtle bias rather than overt racism, adds Dr. Giscombe, giving the example of a Latina she encountered who had introduced a new white male colleague to her own mentor, only to find herself eclipsed when it came to opportunities for professional development. “This guy comes on board and the mentor takes him under his wing and puts him on his client project team, something he’d

never done with her,” she recalls. “It was a negative ‘aha’ moment, the subtle withholding of full support.”

Government data illustrate how such implicit discrimination affects the pocketbooks of multicultural women. The typical white woman with a bach-elor’s degree made 76 percent of what a similarly educated white man earned in 2014, according to Census Bureau data on full-time workers’ wages analyzed by the American Association of University Women. By comparison, the average African American woman with a bach-elor’s degree made 68 percent, while Hispanic women made 66 percent of the salary of a white man with a bach-elor’s degree. Asian American women do better, earning 81 percent of a white man’s salary at that education level.

“Companies need to understand what it’s like for women of color by taking careful note of metrics,” says Dr. Giscombe. “They need to see what the

retention numbers are, what the pro-motion rates are, and compare them to majority groups. We know there’s not one silver bullet for advancement.”

Our survey also finds that multi-cultural women aren’t receiving the responsibilities they desire, especially as compared with their white counter-parts. Only 41 percent of white women we surveyed say they’d like to have a job with greater responsibility, com-pared with 54 percent of multicultural women, which breaks down into 55 percent of Asian Americans and blacks, and 58 percent of Hispanics.

Alice Kwan, a Deloitte consulting principal based in New York, notes that within many organizations, a lot of Asian American women rise quickly through the ranks based on their tech-nical excellence but stall when they’re up for a promotion to a manager-level position. One contributing factor may be lack of sponsorship.

Perspectives on AdvancementBlack women are the least likely to agree that they have the same opportunities as others at their companies; Latinas are the most likely to say they’ve been overlooked for key assignments.

0%

20%

40%

80%

60%

100%

Having a sponsor would help me

advance at work

42

%

54

%

35

%

50

%

47

%

I have the same opportunities to advance in

my company as anyone else

54

%

67

%

63

%

59

%

60

%

The culture in my company tends to

be male-dominated

45

% 51

%

45

%

46

%

45

%

I have been overlooked for key job assignments by my direct manager/

supervisor

29

%

40

%

26

%34

%

33

%

I have a clear plan for my career advancement

59

% 63

%

43

%48

% 56

%

I would like to have a job with greater

responsibility

55

%

58

%

41

%

55

%

54

%

n BLACK n ASIAN n HISPANIC n ALL MCW n WHITE, NON-HISPANIC


In addition to wanting better compensation, skill development and advancement opportunities, women of color say mentors, sponsors and networks to help them build careers remain in short supply.

Multicultural women who report having a mentor or sponsor are far more satisfied with their employers: A whopping 83 percent of those who report access to a sponsor say they are satisfied with their ability to move ahead, versus 40 percent without one. As for multicultural women with mentors, 74 percent are satisfied with

their ability to advance, versus 33 percent without mentors. It’s worth noting, however, that 62 percent of multicultural women surveyed say that they don’t understand the difference between a sponsor and a mentor, indi-cating that some education is needed in this area. (See “Mentors vs. Sponsors.”)

“Women of color in business have really struggled to advance, whether that means they lack access to high-visibility assignments” or institutional knowledge, notes Farah Ahmad, policy analyst for Progress 2050 at the Center for American Progress, a progressive

think tank. “A lot of that stems from a lack of mentorship in the male- dominated business world, where there’s not a lot of diversity and a sense of being excluded from very important networks.”

Most women with a mentor have one who is female, our survey found. White and black women are most likely to have a woman mentor of the same race, while Asian women are most likely of all racial groups to have a male mentor. Mentors are especially important for women of color because, according to Catalyst research, they are

WHAT’S MISSING FOR MULTICULTURAL WOMEN:

Mentors, Sponsors, Networks and Advancement Programs

Mentors vs. SponsorsMentors are more experienced professionals who can give an employee regular advice and introduce her to useful contacts. Sponsors are leaders or executives in the same company who can go the extra mile and actively develop career opportunities for that individual or bring up her name in discussions around promotions and stretch assignments.

0%

20%

40%

80%

60%

100%

Black Asian Hispanic All MCW White, non-

Hispanic

0%

20%

40%

80%

60%

100%

Black Asian Hispanic All MCW White, non-

Hispanic

31%43%

55%

41%37%

Do you have a mentor?

69%57%

45%

59%63%NO/

UNSURE

YES 20%24%33%

17%23%

Do you have a sponsor?

80%76%67%

83%77%


more likely than white women to feel excluded from informal networks and tend to interact with a narrower range of colleagues, says Dr. Giscombe. She adds that it’s also notable that mentors to multicultural women often have less influence than those of white women, meaning that diverse women conse-quently receive fewer opportunities to advance or develop their skills. “The best thing you can do is build a network that includes both majority and minor-ity members,” Joan Williams says.

Dawn, a black woman, has always actively sought out mentors whom she admires, both at the software firm where she’s currently vice president counsel and at her previous law firm jobs. “I put myself in a position to be successful,” she says.

Early in her career, Dawn had a chance to observe a junior partner

interacting with clients and swooping in at the eleventh hour to close deals, and realized she needed to develop that skill as well. So she set a goal to have that junior partner as a mentor and to work with him at any opportunity. She volunteered to sit in on negotiations, without billing for her time, and began doing increasingly valuable work for him even as he became one of the firm’s biggest rainmakers. “I was trusted with a lot of responsibility early on in my career,” she says. “That was really instrumental to my success,” says Dawn.

Dawn also credits a mentor her company assigned her with helping her understand its internal workings. The mentor suggested ways to broaden her expertise, network beyond just the legal department and raise her visibil-ity. “She’s helped me navigate some of the trickier conversations, which has

been wonderful and given me different perspectives.”

Dawn had been working with the mentor by phone and email for almost a year before they met in person, and she was pleasantly surprised to discover her mentor is also a black woman. That mentor nudged Dawn to take a leadership role in the company’s diversity/affinity group, when she was reluctant to put herself forward so early in her tenure. Under her leader-ship, a western chapter of the group launched and is now flourishing. “I got so much more out of my participation in the diversity/affinity group than I put into it. There were a lot of long hours and weekends, but it was worth it.”

To help sponsorship relationships, Deloitte has begun to train sponsors to be better advocates for their professionals. The program aims to

Who’s Your Mentor?White, non-Hispanic women and black women are most likely to have a mentor who is a woman of the same race. Asian American women are more likely than other respondents to have a male mentor.

MENTOR IS A MAN MENTOR IS A WOMAN

WHITE MAN MAN OF COLORWOMAN OF THE

SAME RACE AS ME

WOMAN OF A DIFFERENT RACE

THAN ME

Black women 19% 10% 38% 33%

Asian American

women31% 13% 14% 42%

Latinas 29% 9% 29% 33%

White, non-Hispanic

women35% 6% 51% 8%


find ways to bridge the gap between the experience of leaders and that of, primarily, up-and-coming people of color. Deloitte Women’s Initiative leader Cloud says, “We have done some very specific dialogue with them about how to think about authenticity topics, how to share their personal stories in ways that draw out themes that relate. We need to provide the sponsors with the type of skills and knowledge to be effective in that role.”

Deloitte’s Alice Kwan has learned to be open-minded about seeing the qual-ities she hopes to emulate and the sim-ilarities in leaders and mentors who may not have the exact demographic profile that she does. “Some of my best sponsors and mentors are white men because those are the people who are in the roles today,” she says. “I believe there are qualities in every leader that you can learn from.”

Build a Network: Support & GrowthJust as important as mentors and sponsors—and often working in tan-dem with them—are the professional networks that multicultural women often seek to tap to help them succeed

in their current roles and to seek new opportunities.

Alice, for example, expanded her network thanks to a year-long International Women’s Forum leadership development program Deloitte sponsored her in, which attracted 25 high-potential women from a variety of companies and all fields. The group has since grown into a close and powerful resource. “It was the opportunity to create my own external board of advisers, women who were super cool and got it and were experiencing something differ-ent,” she says. “We’re here to help each other.” The network’s creation couldn’t have come at a better time, adds Alice: “It was at a time when I was questioning a lot of things. It came at the right time and was really helpful for me to have that outlet and that venue.”

Still, while it’s crucial to have a strong internal and external network in order to learn about upcoming opportunities and stretch assignments, mentoring and sponsorship aren’t one-way streets. Just meeting once or twice isn’t enough. Says Alice: “Both parties have to make the investment in the relationship; be very clear about the

CASE STUDY: RathiRathi was encouraged by several sponsors at her financial services company to take a bigger role in its transformation around digital payments. With son Nikhil, 25, and daughter Sanjana, 23, out of the house, Rathi thought now was an opportune time to tackle a new challenge.

Currently chief information officer for enterprise growth, Rathi recently participated in an eight-month-long leadership development program. While the program validated her strengths in leadership, networking and technology, she also received some helpful coaching on executive presence and learned techniques to speak and present herself with more gravitas, which helped combat stereotypes about Asian Americans and women.

“Before I took the course, the way I stood or slouched or sat on a chair was much more timid,” says Rathi. “I find myself correcting that and raising myself where there is less timidity and more confidence.”

Focus on FlexMore than half the multicultural women in our study say they are able to use flexibility in how, when and where their work gets done.

72% of MCW have flexibility in

how work gets done

57% of MCW have flexibility in

when work gets done

54% of MCW have flexibility in where works gets done

40% of MCW say it is not

acceptable to work from home at their jobs


agenda and what each wants to get out of the meeting, and be sure to follow up.”

Our survey found a puzzling dis-connect between the 56 percent of all women who say it’s important to belong to an employee network and the 25 per-cent who actually belong to one focused on women. Notably, only 26 percent of multicultural women belong to a net-work designed for multicultural women.

Perhaps women of color don’t want to be pigeonholed according to their race or gender and worry that being a visible member of a business resource group or employee network associated with that minority group would mark them as a token or outspoken minority.

Official networks aren’t the only groups at issue, however. In our survey,

Hispanic and Asian American women are most likely to report feeling left out of informal networks, at 55 percent and 53 percent, respectively. Only 44 percent of black women report feeling left out of informal networks, versus 50 percent of white women. How-ever, those who do belong to a formal multicultural women’s network are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs (93 percent), would recommend their employers (81 percent) and are willing to put in effort beyond what’s needed to ensure company success (85 percent).

In addition to career advancement, networks can be a lifeline when women transition into motherhood. Carla, vice president of marketing at a food company, remembers returning from

“Anybody who comes from a particular race or background brings their identity to the conversation their company is having with customers and clients. The world is so diverse—companies have to have that internal diversity.”TANVI GAUTAM, FOUNDER OF GLOBAL PEOPLE TREE, INTERVIEWED AT THE 2014 MULTICULTURAL WOMEN’S NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Network ParticipationLatinas are the respondents most likely to belong to a women’s network or one designed for women of color. However, most respondents don’t belong to either type of network.

0%

20%

40%

80%

60%

100%

Black Asian Hispanic All MCW

White, non-

Hispanic

Total Black Asian Hispanic All MCW

White, non-

Hispanic

Total

Do you belong to a network focused on women?

27%

73%

28%

72%

25%

75%

22%

78%

18%

82%

11%

89%

27%

73%

26%

74%

38%

62%

38%

62%

21%

79%

21%

79%

0%

20%

40%

80%

60%

100%

Do you belong to a network focused on multicultural women?

NO

YES


her first maternity leave to find out about a planned business trip within the first month. Without even asking, her colleague—a single mom to 7- and 9-year-old sons—volunteered to take the trip in Carla’s place. “I remembered that and have always tried to remember when I have new moms who are on my team or people I can influence who are sup-porting new moms to remind them we can take the gift and grace that has been given to us and reflect it forward so other people can learn and create that kind of workplace,” she says.

Indeed, work life balance is crucial to retention; it’s the third most com-mon reason that survey participants consider leaving their employers. Sixty-three percent of multicultural women surveyed agree that flexibility has resulted in greater work life sat-isfaction. Most women surveyed are comfortable discussing work life issues with their supervisors (62 percent), and 66 percent feel their managers support these concerns. Just 22 percent of multi-cultural women say they could use more flexibility in where work gets done.

MCW who belong to a

multicultural women’s network

MCW who do not belong to

a multicultural women’s network

I’m satisfied with my current job 93% 79%

I’m willing to put in a great deal of effort beyond what is required to ensure company success 85% 75%

I’m comfortable being my authentic self in the workplace 84% 75%

I’m treated the same as other employees in my company 82% 64%

I would recommend my company as a great place to work 81% 59%

There is two-way communication between my supervisor and me 80% 68%

I’m excited to go to work each day 78% 55%

I’m satisfied with how my career is progressing 78% 55%

I’m optimistic about my ability to advance in my company 74% 44%

When I look up at the leadership in my company, I see women who look like me 66% 38%

If I were offered a comparable position with another company, I would NOT leave my current employer 59% 44%

I think my company is the best I’ve worked for 3% 16%

The Importance of NetworksBelonging to a network of multicultural women dramatically improves the satisfaction scores of participants who are women of color.

“Because of my gender, my

race and my sexual orientation,

I’m able to see the effective-

ness of how identities inter-

sect. That perspective helps

me serve as a bridge and a

bridge builder.”ANNE JENRETTE THOMAS, CEO AND FOUNDER OF ESQUIRE COACHING, INTERVIEWED AT THE 2014 MULTICULTURAL WOMEN’S NATIONAL CONFERENCE


In an egalitarian workplace, talent would be the focus of attention. But while 51 percent of white women feel their talent is the first thing noticed by colleagues when they walk into a room, only 39 percent of multicultural women do. Race walks through the door first for more black women (54 percent), Latinas are split between choosing gender (41 percent) and talent (42 percent), and 36 percent of Asian women choose race, while 40 percent say talent.

“The problem for women of color is that very often when people talk about gender, they’re talking about white women, and when people talk about race, they’re talking about men of color, so women of color get left out,” says Williams, who in January released an in-depth report on the experience of women of color in science.²

The majority of multicultural women surveyed noted, too, the last-ing power of stereotypes in the U.S. corporate workplace. Our survey found that 74 percent of black women believe racial stereotypes exist, compared with 63 percent of Hispanic women, 56 percent of Asian women and 50 percent of white women. As for gen-der stereotypes, 72 percent of black women, 64 percent of Hispanic women and 60 percent of both Asian and white women believe they exist. Multicul-tural women also see more barriers to their advancement than white women do. While just 40 percent of white women feel there’s a race-based dis-parity in ability to climb the ladder, 53 percent of Asians, 58 percent of Hispanics and 73 percent of blacks do.

Early in her career, Carla tried to adjust her style and wardrobe to what she thought would make her more like the leaders on the ladder above her. But it just didn’t work. She realizes that people notice her skin color and dreadlocks upon first meeting her but is confident that her warmth and engage-ment quickly enter the room after that moment. “We can’t use our very valuable energy and talents trying to be some-thing other than our natural selves,” she says. “The best gifts I can give the world are the ones that come naturally to me.”

In fact, Carla has received feedback from colleagues that her authenticity gives them more confidence in her business decisions. One leader told her, “When you’re in a meeting, I’m really convinced about what you say because I know you will be honest and you will be genuine in your perspective. That helps

WHAT STEREOTYPES REMAIN:

The Experience of Being a Multicultural Woman at Work

Perceptions of Race and Gender Our survey asked, “When you walk into a meeting, what is the first thing people see?” Black and Asian women believe their race is the first thing co-workers notice about them.

GENDER RACE TALENT

Black women 19% 54% 28%

Asian women 24% 36% 40%

Latinas 41% 17% 42%

All MCW 29% 32% 39%

White, non-Hispanic women 43% 7% 51%

2. www.uchastings.edu/news/articles/2015/01/williams-double-jeopardy-report.php

Categories may not equal 100% because of rounding.


me to buy in to the business strategies you’re recommending even when they’re risky,” she recalls. “There’s a benefit to people knowing you’re being transparent, you’re bringing your best and you’re bringing your truth.”

Indeed, our survey finds that mul-ticultural women who feel they can be their authentic selves at work are more satisfied with their current jobs (91 percent versus 36 percent who don’t feel they can be their authentic selves at work), are more excited to go to work every day (72 percent versus 13 percent), would recommend their employers as great places to work (78 percent versus 16 percent) and are willing to put in above-and-beyond effort (89 percent versus 44 percent) than those who don’t feel they can be authentic.

A recent white paper, Uncovering Talent, by New York University law professor Kenji Yoshino and Deloitte Consulting Managing Principal Christie Smith, explores the way that people downplay any aspect of their identity that separates them from the mainstream at work, calling the prac-tice “covering.”³ The paper finds that 67 percent of women of color do this in some aspect. For African American women, for example, finding a corpo-rate-appropriate hairstyle that feels authentic is often a challenge.

“Our hair is a source of angst and stress. We’ve been derided for the kinky texture, how big it is,” says Yvette, who wears her hair close-cropped on the

side and tall in the center. “That is one thing that I don’t choose to modulate. My hair is funky. It’s short, it’s sassy, it’s not what one might expect from an executive. It makes me more of a stand-out. It’s not unprofessional, but it’s very editorial.”

Linda, chief information officer at a consumer goods company and an African American, solved this problem when her son was born nearly two decades ago by cutting most of her hair off and keeping it ultra-short. “For years I had wanted to do it,” she says. “It dawned on me this kid has taken so much energy from me, the hair has to go. I took my hair off, I found my voice. . . . It’s a very freeing experience.”

Racism often takes on a subtler form than in years past—including, for example, a reluctance to confront

Gender and Racial Stereotypes at WorkMost multicultural women don’t feel that white women have an interest in helping them advance, while black women are most likely to agree that stereotypes exist at work.

0%

20%

40%

80%

60%

100%

I believe women have to work harder

than men to advance

I believe racial stereotypes exist in the workplace

I believe gender stereotypes exist in the workplace

I believe it is harder for multicultural

women than white women to advance

in the workplace

I have a different leadership style

based on my ethnicity

White women in leadership have an interest in helping

multicultural women advance

31

%

52

%

44

%

36

% 40

%

40

% 46

%

18

%

41

%

39

%

73

%

58

%

40

%

53

% 57

%

72

%

64

%

60

%

60

% 64

%

74%

63

%

50

%56

% 62

%

78

%

73

%

64

%69

%

72

%

n BLACK n ASIAN n HISPANIC n ALL MCW n WHITE, NON-HISPANIC

3. www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/us-inclusion-uncovering-talent-paper.pdf


performance issues in a minority employee or a slight disconnect culturally or interpersonally. “People think, I’m not racist because I haven’t said anything bad. People don’t real-ize that by not telling the truth around feedback, that person can’t give their best performance because they don’t know where they stand,” says Linda. “What used to be very overt has become in a lot of cases very covert.”

At the information technology com-pany where Ana is senior vice president of product operations, employees and managers have received training about

implicit and unconscious biases. Ana actively pushes back when she hears a woman or minority described in stereo-typical ways. For instance, she says, in a meeting someone suggested supporting a candidate for promotion because she was so sweet. “I said, ‘It’s because she is an incredible general manager,’ ” Ana recalls. “They were being 110 percent supportive, but they just had no idea what they were saying.”

Alice Kwan advises younger practi-tioners to start small and in a safe space when learning to push back: “The more practice you get, the better you get at it.”

“It’s a wonderful experience to share one’s culture with others. I’ve always built relationships with other people so they could help us with our work.”LADONNA HARRIS, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF AMERICANS FOR INDIAN OPPORTUNITY, INTERVIEWED AT THE 2014 MULTICULTURAL WOMEN’S NATIONAL CONFERENCE

MCW who feel they can be their authentic

selves

MCW who can’t be their

authentic selves

I’m satisfied with my current job 91% 36%

I’m willing to put in a great deal of effort beyond what is required to ensure company success 89% 44%

There is two-way communication between my supervisor and me 80% 24%

I’m treated the same as other employees in my company 78% 29%

I would recommend my company as a great place to work 78% 16%

I’m excited to go to work each day 72% 13%

I’m optimistic about my ability to advance in my company 64% 11%

When I look up at the leadership in my company, I see women who look like me 56% 10%

If I were offered a comparable position with another company, I would NOT leave my current employer 55% 18%

I’m satisfied with how my career is progressing 55% 14%

I think my company is the best I’ve worked for 24% 4%

The Importance of AuthenticityMulticultural women who say they are able to be themselves at work have significantly higher satisfaction scores than respondents who cannot.


Focus on real advancement. Use objective metrics to be sure that your mentorship, sponsorship and advancement programs are functioning well and actually reach your women of color. (Track multicultural women as a distinct group—breaking them out separately from data on women and minorities could unmask problems that wouldn’t otherwise be apparent.) Be especially alert for subtle bias in these programs’ structure, which is typically at the root of many barriers to advancement. In addition, make sure to provide as much political navigation advice to minority mentees as you do to majority mentees. Pay attention, too, to salary disparities: We know that women of color consider pay raises as key to their satisfaction with their current jobs (as do non-Hispanic white women), so make sure that all employees at your company earn what they deserve.

Build employee resource groups. Affinity networks can be an important countervailing force to unconscious bias around race, says Linda, chief information officer at a consumer goods company. They can create a safe environment for employees to articulate their concerns and have their skills and experience validated. Says Linda, “You can safely ask questions around, ‘How do I do this so it’s more effective?’” Fifty-nine percent of multicultural women surveyed say that networks are important, but fewer than a third are actually members of groups for either women or minority women. Nevertheless, once your company builds such groups, make sure employees are aware of them, understand the benefits of participating and are encouraged by key leaders.

Focus on the middle manager. Corporate policy that strengthens trust and relationships between supervisors and their subordinates also serves to increase satisfaction and retention of multicultural women. Our survey finds that middle managers are most likely to leave, with 78 percent at risk of quitting in the next three years. That career stage is “categorically a series of years marred with confusion on priorities and it feels very cloudy,” says Ana, senior vice president of product operations at an information technology company. “[Staying or going] feels like a binary choice and it doesn’t have to be.”

Promote a clear vision of leadership. Make sure multicultural women can envision themselves as a leader at your company—and be certain that the definition of leader isn’t so narrow that it excludes diverse women. Our study found that only 20 percent of multicultural women believe that they fit the current profile of a leader at their companies.

Think inclusive leadership. Encourage leaders to take the extra step to connect with subordinates who are different, rather than expecting them to change to fit the majority mold and culture. At Deloitte, an initiative called “Share Your Story” has executives create a video of themselves telling a three-minute story of something powerful in their life that has influenced who they are and where they are today. “There’s so much power in people hearing and appreciating all the unique ways in which successful careers can be created,” says Julie Cloud, from Deloitte’s Women’s Initiative. “It builds a strong culture of belonging and acceptance.”

WHAT’S NEXT:

How Companies Can RespondWhat can organizational leaders do to improve the workplace environment for multicultural women and lower their flight risk? Here are five key responses to consider:


MCW whose company has programs for advancement

of women

MCW whose company

does not have

programs for advancement

of women

MCW whose company has programs for advancement of minorities

MCW whose company

does not have

programs for advancement of minorities

I’m satisfied with my current job 94% 64% 93% 63%

I’m willing to put in a great deal of effort beyond what is required to ensure company success 91% 66% 91% 66%

I’m comfortable being my authentic self in the workplace 90% 59% 90% 61%

There is two-way communication between my supervisor and me 86% 52% 86% 54%

I’m treated the same as other employees in my company 86% 45% 86% 45%

I’m satisfied with how my career is progressing 86% 31% 88% 30%

I would recommend my company as a great place to work 85% 38% 86% 40%

I’m excited to go to work each day 82% 35% 82% 36%

I’m optimistic about my ability to advance in my company 76% 22% 78% 23%

When I look up at the leadership in my company, I see women who look like me 70% 16% 72% 16%

If I were offered a comparable position with another company, I would NOT leave my current employer 63% 29% 64% 22%

I think my company is the best I’ve worked for 29% 8% 28% 10%

Advancement Programs WorkMulticultural women whose employers offer programs to advance women and minorities report higher levels of satisfaction, commitment and retention.

The Power of DiversityBlack women and Latinas are most likely to feel they bring special strengths to their jobs; overall, women of color say they identify most often with other women at work.

Do you bring special strengths to your company as a result of your race/background?

With whom do you most strongly identify at work?

71% Hispanic women agreed72% Black women agreed57% Asian women agreed43% White, non-Hispanic women agreed .

Yes64%

No21%

Not Sure15%

Women

Multicultural women

Employees at job level

Employees within my team

Multicultural employees

22%

14%

18%22%

24%

RESPONSES FROM ALL MCW RESPONSES FROM ALL MCW


GENERAL MANAGER AND VICE PRESIDENT Subha V. Barry DIRECTOR Jennifer Owens SENIOR RESEARCH EDITOR Krista Carothers CONTRIBUTING WRITER Katherine Reynolds Lewis SENIOR MANAGER, EDITORIAL & RESEARCH INITIATIVES Kristen Willoughby SENIOR MANAGER, CORPORATE RESEARCH INITIATIVES Michele Siegel CUSTOM INSIGHTS COORDINATOR Tierney O’Brien CREATIVE DIRECTOR Eric Siry COPY EDITOR India Cooper

SALES & MARKETING PUBLISHER Joan Sheridan LaBarge EXECUTIVE SALES DIRECTORS LaQuanda Murray Jennifer Smyth SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTORS Peggy L. Beane Katrina Crawford Gale Hollingsworth Alisa Nadler SENIOR MANAGER, SALES OPERATIONS Lauren Macri MARKETING DIRECTOR Nancy Intrator CORPORATE MARKETING DIRECTOR Jessica Goldman CREATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR Helena You

WORKINGMOTHER.COM ONLINE MANAGER Kelli Daley

BONNIER CUSTOM INSIGHTS VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE RESEARCH Heather M. Idema SENIOR MANAGER, CUSTOM INSIGHTS Paule Anne Kaziewicz

PRESIDENT EMERITUS Carol Evans

The Working Mother Research Institute, a division of Working Mother Media, is home to the

Working Mother 100 Best Companies, the Best

Companies for Multicultural Women and the National

Association for Female Executives Top 50 Companies for Executive Women, among

other initiatives. WMRI produces insightful benchmarking

reports and important research papers on work life, the

advancement of women and diversity. It also conducts

surveys, such as Multicultural Women at Work: The Working

Mother Report, to further culture change nationwide.

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit,

consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world’s

most admired brands, including 70 percent of

the Fortune 500. Our people work across more than 20 industry sectors to

deliver measurable and lasting results that

help reinforce public trust in our capital markets,

inspire clients to make their most challenging business decisions with confidence,

and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and

a healthy society.

METHODOLOGY

The Working Mother Research Institute developed a survey and fielded it nationally through a series of email blasts sent by Survey Sampling International in August 2014. A total of 1,746 individuals submitted online questionnaires. All qualified respondents were college-educated women, age 18 or older, employed in roles identified as professional/technical, manager/supervisor or executive. Bonnier Custom Insights (a division of Bonnier Corporation) received and tabulated the responses, which were then analyzed by Maria S. Ferris Consulting LLC. The final results are documented in this report, which was written by the Working Mother Research Institute.

GENERAL MANAGER AND VICE PRESIDENT Subha V. Barry DIRECTOR Jennifer Owens SENIOR RESEARCH EDITOR Krista Carothers CONTRIBUTING WRITER Katherine Reynolds Lewis SENIOR MANAGER, EDITORIAL & RESEARCH INITIATIVES Kristen Willoughby SENIOR MANAGER, CORPORATE RESEARCH INITIATIVES Michele Siegel CUSTOM INSIGHTS COORDINATOR Tierney O’Brien CREATIVE DIRECTOR Eric Siry COPY EDITOR India Cooper

SALES & MARKETING PUBLISHER Joan Sheridan LaBarge EXECUTIVE SALES DIRECTORS LaQuanda Murray Jennifer Smyth SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTORS Peggy L. Beane Katrina Crawford Gale Hollingsworth Alisa Nadler SENIOR MANAGER, SALES OPERATIONS Lauren Macri MARKETING DIRECTOR Nancy Intrator CORPORATE MARKETING DIRECTOR Jessica Goldman CREATIVE SERVICES DIRECTOR Helena You

WORKINGMOTHER.COM ONLINE MANAGER Kelli Daley

BONNIER CUSTOM INSIGHTS VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE RESEARCH Heather M. Idema SENIOR MANAGER, CUSTOM INSIGHTS Paule Anne Kaziewicz

PRESIDENT EMERITUS Carol Evans

Working Mother Media2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016

212-219-7470

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