This editorial was originally published in Reworked
For every 100 men promoted, only 60 Black women move up. Here's what's holding them back, and how leaders can turn allyship into action.
Despite decades of progress, Black women continue to face some of the most significant barriers in the workplace. As organizations across industries scale back diversity and inclusion efforts amid growing political backlash and anti-DEI legislation, Black women continue to bear a disproportionate share of workplace inequities. In fact, according to the Economic Policy Institute, Black women lost jobs at three times the rate of all women in professional and service occupations in 2025. Despite being one of the most educated and ambitious demographic groups in the workforce, Black women experience some of the largest disparities in pay, promotion and leadership representation. Which raises the question: What barriers do Black women continue to face at work, and what can leaders do to create more inclusive workplaces?
The Overlapping Forces Shaping Black Women's Experiences at Work
Throughout my career, I have worked alongside Black women colleagues, facilitated hundreds of conversations about race and inclusion, and listened to countless stories about the challenges Black women navigate in the workplace. While every experience is unique, a pattern emerges: many Black women are operating in workplace cultures that were not designed with their success, well-being or advancement in mind. Recent national headlines have illustrated the profound consequences of workplace inequities, including instances where Black women have unfairly lost opportunities, careers and even their lives. Creating inclusive workplaces is everyone's responsibility, but it begins with leadership. When leaders practice allyship and actively stand in solidarity with Black women, they set the tone for others to do the same.
Understanding the experiences of Black women requires an understanding of both intersectionality, a framework developed by civil rights scholar and Columbia Professor, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and misogynoir, a term coined by Northwestern professor Moya Bailey. Intersectionality explains how overlapping systems of racism and sexism shape the experiences of Black women, while misogynoir names the unique anti-Black sexism that emerges from that intersection. An understanding of these dynamics helps leaders recognize barriers, challenge inequities and cultivate workplaces where Black women can thrive.
Talent Isn't the Problem. Access Is
One of the most significant barriers facing Black women is their persistent underrepresentation in leadership. The problem begins early in the talent pipeline. Research on the "broken rung" shows that Black women are promoted at significantly lower rates than their peers, with only 60 Black women promoted for every 100 men who advance. This underrepresentation creates a ripple effect: when leadership ranks lack Black women, affinity bias often shapes who receives visibility, mentorship and leadership opportunities. Black women are less likely to have access to influential sponsors who can advocate for their advancement as a result.
Even when mentorship exists, many Black women describe experiencing the "office pet to threat" phenomenon, receiving support and encouragement early in their careers, only to encounter resistance, hostility or undermining once they begin to assert their expertise, seek advancement or gain influence. The most recent Women in the Workplace report found that only about one in four Black women feel they have the senior-level sponsorship needed to progress in their careers.
Recognizing the Barriers to Belonging and Advancement
Tokenization is another significant challenge for Black women, who are more likely than other women to find themselves as the lonely only, or one of a few Black voices in a workplace or leadership team. While organizations may celebrate representation, tokenization places an unfair burden on Black women to speak for an entire community, educate colleagues about race, and participate in diversity and inclusion initiatives in addition to their primary job responsibilities. This invisible and uncompensated labor is called the "Black tax” and creates significant emotional and professional strain.
Coupled with the need to navigate stereotypes, anti-Black bias and everyday microaggressions — which can have a macro impact on one's mental health — these experiences can contribute to racial battle fatigue, a chronic stress response produced by the ongoing effort of simultaneously managing racism and exclusion in the workplace. Trust, retention employee well-being and organizational culture suffer as a result.
Leading With Intention: Inclusion Strategies to Support Black Women
So what can leaders do? Leaders can cultivate workplaces where Black women are represented, valued and supported to reach their full potential by intentionally addressing barriers to advancement, challenging exclusionary practices and investing in the growth and well-being of Black women. The following strategies offer a starting point for leaders committed to turning allyship into action.
Engage in mirror-work. Don’t be afraid to look in the mirror to explore the stereotypes you hold and the biases you bring into your leadership practice, including anti-Black bias, and take steps to unlearn them. When we allow ourselves to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, we evolve as leaders. As Audre Lorde reminds us, change means growth, and growth can be painful.
Use your position of power and privilege to help create pathways to success for Black women. Invest in leadership development programs that are inclusive of Black women. Help ensure they receive meaningful mentorship and sponsorship, and understand their professional goals and desires.
Work to create psychological safety so all underrepresented employees, including Black women, feel secure enough to be vulnerable, question or challenge decisions or ideas when necessary, admit mistakes and show up as their authentic selves.
Listen to and amplify the voices of Black women in your organization. Provide Black women with opportunities to share how they are experiencing being a part of your team and the larger organization. Remember, we don’t all experience the same workplace in the same way.
Center racial diversity in inclusion conversations. Don’t be afraid to talk about race in the workplace. As organizations are increasingly moving away from their commitments to anti-racism, leaders who are invested in advocating for and uplifting Black women should center race because, as the old adage says, when we center race, everything else falls into place.
Stand up and speak out against misogynoir you observe or are made aware of, even when it feels uncomfortable or frightening. Leaders committed to inclusion must have the courage to address and disrupt the oppressive experiences Black women continue to face. Looking the other way only helps to perpetuate a toxic workplace experience.
Engage in intentional allyship with Black women and take on the struggle of Black women as your own because our oppression is interconnected and our liberation is bound. Stephanie Creary’s LEAP framework of allyship is a great resource for effective allyship.
Allyship Is Inclusive Leadership
Allyship is not an identity, it is an intentional leadership practice. Effective allyship requires ongoing action, consistency, accountability and a commitment to using one's influence to create more equitable outcomes. The title of an “ally” is something that we earn over time and a label that we should never bestow upon ourselves. Our allyship efforts must be recognized by the people we seek to uplift and advocate for rather than by ourselves.