To do better by Black women, companies must focus on both gender and race. Here’s why that’s critical—and what it looks like in practice.

Today, August 13th, is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. That means Black women had to work all of 2019 and more than seven months into 2020 to earn what white men earned in 2019 alone. Over the course of a Black woman’s career, the pay gap accounts for almost a million dollars in lost income. 

That’s a major injustice. It’s also part of a much bigger problem. 

Today, Lean In released The State of Black Women in Corporate America, an in-depth look at the experiences of Black women at work—and a call to action for companies to do more to advance and support Back women.

Based on five years of our Women in the Workplace research with McKinsey & Company, our 50 Ways to Fight Bias program, and research we’ve conducted in partnership with Survey Monkey, the report shows the same pattern we see in all our research: The workplace is worse for women than for men. It’s worse for women of color than for white women. And for Black women in particular it's worst of all. 

Black women are promoted more slowly—for every 100 entry-level men promoted to manager, only 58 Black women are. They are less likely to have managers who showcase their work, or advocate for new opportunities for them. Fifty-nine percent of Black women have never—not once—had an informal interaction with a senior leader, which means they get less sponsorship and fewer opportunities to advance. And for many Black women, work is yet another place where they encounter microaggressions and other day-to-day acts of discrimination. Black women are more likely than women overall to have their judgment questioned in their area of expertise, and they are far more likely to hear colleagues express surprise about their language skills or other abilities. 

Yet despite all this, Black women are highly ambitious. They are much more likely than white women to want to be senior leaders, and they stand out for their motivations—among employees who are interested in leadership, Black women are most likely to say that they want to improve their workplaces and serve as role models for people like them.

This data should serve as a wake-up call. Every employer should be taking concrete steps to ensure that Black women are not only paid equally, but also have equal opportunity to learn, grow, and lead. This starts with leaders explicitly communicating their company’s commitment to advancing Black women, and it requires that they take an intersectional approach to tracking metrics and evaluating the effectiveness of programs. If companies continue to focus on just gender or race—without looking at gender and race combined—women of color will continue to be effectively left out.

Here are some examples of what this looks like (you’ll find more at leanin.org/state-of-black-women):  

Set representation targets by gender and race combined. Only 7% of companies currently do this, which means most aren’t setting specific goals around advancing Black women and other women of color. In addition to setting targets, companies should track hiring and promotion outcomes by both gender and race to make sure women of color are getting equal opportunities to advance.

Require diverse final slates for hiring and promotions. A diverse slate includes two or more candidates from any underrepresented group. Research shows that when only one woman or one Black person is included in a slate of finalists, there is statistically zero chance they will be hired—but when two such candidates are included, the chance that one of them will be hired rises dramatically.

Use consistent, objective hiring and promotion rubrics. Evaluators need to understand the rubric and criteria for the role before the review process begins, to ensure that all candidates are evaluated against the same standard. Using a quantitative rating system—such as a five-point scale—has been shown to reduce bias as compared to relying on open-ended questions. 

Hold leaders accountable for progress by incorporating diversity targets into management expectations and performance reviews, and by offering meaningful rewards for success; right now, fewer than one in five companies offers financial incentives for senior leaders who meet diversity targets.

Provide comprehensive antiracism and allyship training. In addition to teaching employees to recognize sexism and racism, this training should emphasize tangible ways that employees can practice allyship, such as speaking out against discrimination and advocating for opportunities for Black women colleagues.

Acknowledge events that impact the Black community. For a workplace to feel inclusive, it’s important that all employees demonstrate awareness of events—such as police brutality—that disproportionately impact the Black community. When these events occur, leaders should take concrete steps to show support and ensure that Black employees have space to process their understandable rage and grief.   

For years, Lean In has urged employers to make their workplaces equal for women. We know from our research that the only way to do that is by centering on the women who are most marginalized. If employers want to do better by women, they must do better by Black women. 

For more information and to read the whole State of Black Women in Corporate America report, visit leanin.org/state-of-black-women.