Black women leaders facing same challenges as 200 years ago

Black women leaders are facing the same challenges they would have done 200 years ago to secure top-level jobs. According to new research by Durham University Business School, black females have to take more career-focused risks than anyone else in order to climb the career ladder.

The intersectionality of being black and a woman creates more challenges compared to white female or black male leaders, the report said.

The research was carried out by Dr Spyros Angelopoulos, associate professor at Durham University Business School, alongside academics from Cambridge University Judge Business School; Cranfield School of Management; The University of Sydney Business School; and Charles Sturt University.

The researchers reviewed data on female leaders spanning 200 years to understand the challenges in their careers and how they overcame these to become globally recognised leaders. The researchers studied female leaders from all races.

Famous figures, such as Rosa Parks, Michelle Obama, and Oprah Winfrey, were studied as part of the research.

“Despite modest progress in the representation of women in senior leadership positions, black women continue to face unique challenges, being promoted at a slower pace and significantly underrepresented in top leadership roles,” said Dr Spyros Angelopoulos.“

According to Dr Angelopoulos, in 2021 white women held 32.6% of managerial positions in the US, while black women occupied only 4.3%.

"It’s clear that we need to create a more inclusive environment for black women to flourish in their career, not constantly having to overcome hurdles," he said.

Black women are more likely to take risks in diversifying their careers in the early stages, the research found, working in 2.13 sectors on average, compared to white women (1.59 sectors). Throughout their career, white women tended to reduce risk-taking behaviours, while black women increased theirs.

"With the same challenges persisting for around 200 years, something needs to be done to improve inclusion for these leaders and ensure they do not need to take extreme risks to succeed. If black female leaders see these issues becoming resolved, and their experiences become more positive, it is likely more will look to pursue leadership roles," the report stated.