Women of Color and the Glass Cliff: Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Leadership
Clara Fang and Illyasha Peete
When President Biden decided to end his campaign for re-election, Vice President Kamala Harris was propelled to the position of de-facto nominee overnight. So far her campaign has been a brilliant success, with record breaking fundraising and rising poll numbers. However, before it all happened came a lot of handwringing. There was concern that she was an underperforming Vice President, she was more unpopular than Joe Biden, America couldn’t elect a Black and South-Asian woman, etc. Some called her a “DEI candidate.”
Kamala Harris’ experience is not an outlier for women of color in leadership positions. Despite being more than qualified, concerns would linger about her background. Usually she is brought in to turn around an organization in crisis. But if she is not supported or equipped to fix the situation, she is blamed for the failure. Michelle Ryan and Alexander Haslam at University of Exeter termed this phenomenon “the glass cliff,” where women and people of color are elevated to leadership roles when there is a crisis, putting them in a situation where they are highly likely to fail.
According to the 2023 Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey, women of color make up only 6% of C-Suite leaders in corporate America and Canada. The disparity starts at the entry level where only 72% of women of color are promoted to manager, compared to 93% of white women and 99% of men of color, and the attrition continues at every step of the ladder. The nonprofit sector is no better. In a study of 2,488 environmental nonprofits in the U.S., 92% of CEOs were white, compared to only 8% people of color.
For this article, I spoke with several women of color about their experience of the glass cliff, the consequences of being pushed out, and what organizations and companies can do to help them thrive and truly advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
I use the pronoun “we” throughout the piece because I include myself among the women of color, and names have been replaced with pseudonyms to protect their identity.
How Women of Color Get Set Up to Fail
We know that women and people of color experience microaggressions, pay gaps, and other inequities in the workplace. However, women of color deal with some unique challenges due to the burden of being doubly marginalized.
In many instances, the problems start before we get the job. When a woman of color successfully interviews for a job, she is often offered a salary less than what she deserves or denied a promotion offered to a white peer. Sara, a 39-year-old Asian woman interviewed for this article, said, “When I left my job where I was the program director, I was told that the organization was very interested in hiring a woman of color as my replacement. However, the title would be downgraded from “director” to “coordinator” and the salary reduced, but none of roles or responsibilities would be reduced. When I wrote to my supervisor questioning this decision, I was given the explanation that this would give the new hire room to grow, or in other words, prove her worth. The same was not expected of her white counterpart in a similar role, who received a better title and salary just for taking the job despite being much less qualified.”
“White people are hired because they are promising; Black and brown people are hired because we’ve already done the work. In fact, we’re probably already doing it and not getting paid for it,” said Melanie, a black woman leader interviewed for this article.
Melanie was hired as an equity and culture officer charged with bringing change to an organization. She said, “Black or brown women leaders are often brought in to turn around a failing organization or program. But then they don’t provide us the support we need to make changes. They don’t listen to what we tell them to do, and then they blame us when things don’t work out.” She found that the team she was hired to manage had no change management work experience. Many of the things they wanted to do were things she knew weren’t going to work. They resisted her leadership when she tried to train them and follow a different plan. “At every turn where we had disagreement, there was pushback. They said they wanted collaboration but they just wanted to do things their way. I ended up leaving because it drove me crazy,” she explained.
Women of color are often asked to do DEI work, even when that isn’t our job. Bea, a 35 year old Asian woman who was trained as a biologist, didn’t feel she had the expertise in DEI. However, because she vocalized concerns about DEI within her team’s work, her supervisors asked her to facilitate conversations on race and equity with her team. She said, “My managers acted like they were doing me a favor by letting me do something that I was not trained for, that it was giving me an opportunity for professional development, but then they left it all up to me without any emotional or professional support. Plus the speed that they wanted it done wasn’t realistic or respectful.”
Ellen, a 40-year-old regional director at a national environmental organization, was hired to lead a team created by her predecessor, but quickly found herself in a no-win situation. “I had male staff I supervised acting out belligerently, yelling at me in team meetings, and disrespecting my authority.” When she spoke to her supervisor about the situation, her supervisor dismissed her concerns and refused to intervene. “She suggested that I present myself differently. Why don’t you be more confident? Be more male? As if it was my problem that they were disrespecting me,” she said.
Her team also suffered from a lack of accountability. “They never had performance evaluations; They didn’t know how to manage grants; they didn’t respond to emails or come to meetings. The program wasn’t achieving its goals. When I started demanding that they do their jobs, they treated me like I was the problem. My days were filled with microaggressions, subversive and undermining behavior that made me feel disrespected, hurt, and unappreciated. It was hard to get anything done.”
Being a woman of color often means people are less likely to respect our authority or appreciate our contributions. “We have to show up early, leave late, give 125% to prove our worth to keep our position. But when we try to do our job as leaders, we are seen as controlling, aggressive, abrasive, and all the things they call women leaders,” said Melanie. “They judge us not on the 125% we give but on their skewed perceptions of us.” Sara said, “Even when you are doing your job and being effective you're told you’re not doing it right, you’re making too many changes, you’re making people uncomfortable.”
For women of color, the sexist judgments are often tinged with racial and hostile undertones. For example, an assertive Black woman is called “angry,” an assertive Latina might be called “feisty,” or an assertive Asian woman–“dragon lady.” Negative assumptions (incompetent, lazy, manipulative) and microaggressions (“you’re so articulate!”) are magnified. Sara said, “White people and men are given so much grace when they make mistakes. Women of color have zero margin when it comes to making mistakes and even if you do nothing wrong people assume negative things about you.”
On the flip side, a more collaborative leadership style might get a woman of color labeled as not decisive enough, not authoritative enough, not leader enough. Marcelo Bonta, founder of Center for Diversity and the Environment, added, “There’s a reason why white people get a pass for doing things that women of color get dinged for. White people made up the rules and have the institutional and systemic backing to judge everyone else. Whoever makes the rules are allowed to break them, change them, or enforce them in whatever way they want. For example, I can't shoot a cop, but a cop can shoot me.”
Women of color are also routinely sexualized and objectified at work. These include flirtation, inappropriate comments about one’s clothing or appearance, sexual propositions, and non-consensual touching. “I was raped while I was on the job,” said a Black leader at a government agency who was forced into early retirement and then made to sign an NDA. If she seeks recourse for sexual harassment, she is often dismissed and retaliated against. This leaves her with no choice except to continue working with her harassers, or leave the job. If the #metoo movement has shown that this happens to practically every white woman, it is far worse for women of color, though perhaps less spoken about.
Consequences
For women of color, the impact of systemic oppression and macro and microaggressions in the workplace take a significant toll–physically, mentally, and financially.
Ellen was a year and a half into her job where she was routinely disrespected when her body started to act up. “My jaw would lock up so that I couldn’t chew food and could only eat liquids. I got cold sores in my mouth. My allergies flared up all the time. I had four appointments a week–acupuncture, massage, chiropractor–to treat the symptoms caused by all the stress I was under. I felt really worn down.”
The stress can take a toll on relationships and family. “My husband told me that I was constantly complaining about my job, depressed, and not present,” said Kristen, “I didn’t feel present for our children. My marriage was on the verge of breakdown.”
Because women of color already have trauma from growing up in a patriarchal and white-dominated society, trauma in the workplace compounds childhood and intergenerational trauma. “Growing up, I experienced a lot of negative thoughts about myself,” said Ellen. “I felt like I didn’t belong. I didn’t trust myself or other people. I felt like my best was not enough. In my workplace, these negative thought patterns were triggered all the time.” She took antidepressants for a while and saw a therapist. Talking to friends and colleagues who believed in her helped rebuild her self-confidence, which she said tanked after a year at her workplace.
The financial consequences of being pushed out of a workplace can be dire. We are often the breadwinner in our family, and many do not have the financial safety net to comfortably take time off in order to look for another job. “I have seen women lose their health insurance when they were pregnant,” said Melanie. Sara said, “After I left my job, I had no severance pay and I didn’t qualify for unemployment. To make ends meet, I didn’t pay my mortgage for ten months, which damaged my credit score, but I received a forbearance. I used the local food bank. Luckily, I received an advance at my new job so that I could back-pay my mortgage, but if that hadn’t been an option, I would have lost my home or had to refinance, which would have doubled the length and cost of my mortgage.”
Losing a job can mean temporary economic hardship, but the compounding effect of low starting salaries, lack of promotions and career advancement over time results in a significant wealth gap for women of color. Research shows that Black women still earn only 69 cents for every $1 a white man makes. Over the course of a 40 year career, this leads to a $884,800 wealth gap. Intergenerationally, this affects opportunities for our children and starts them at a disadvantage compared to their white peers. The compounding effect of poor health over time can lead to chronic illness, higher medical costs, and shortened lifespans.
How Organizations and Women of Color Can Set Themselves Up for Success
Companies recognize that having a diverse and talented workforce is important for success, but hiring high-level employees only to have them leave a short while later is costly to employers, not to mention to the employees. If women of color are to thrive in the workplace, they need the support of their managers and institutions. Too often, women of color are hired and then left to fend for themselves, or worse, actively undermined. Creating a welcoming environment for women of color within organizations requires intentional efforts to foster a culture of belonging, equity, and inclusion. Women of color can also be proactive by being discerning when it comes to employers and advocating for themselves and others.
Hiring
Start with the hiring process. When beginning the hiring process for a leadership position, create a hiring committee that will prioritize diversity and commit to an equitable process. Create a job description that is detailed, accurate, and transparent about the salary and responsibilities. Evaluate candidates based on an objective rubric of desired skills and qualifications. “Give your interview prospects the respect they deserve,” said Ellen. “Don’t have them do a self-interview. Don’t put them in front of a panel of six reviewers. Don’t treat them like free consultants doing work for you before you’ve hired them. Pay them for their interview time.”
Women of color also need to be discerning about potential employers. Beyond the traditional avenues of research, such as examining the company's culture, values, and DEI initiatives, it's imperative to ask the tough questions one may have steered away from in the past. Asking questions like, "Can you tell me the salary of the previous person who held this position or someone in a comparable role in the organization?" can shed light on potential inequities and demonstrate a commitment to fairness and transparency. Melanie said, “One of the questions I ask in interviews is do you want a person that looks like me or do you want someone who comes in as their true self? Are you ready to take instruction and be led by a woman of color? You can tell immediately by their demeanor what the answer is.”
Sharing Power
Women of color in leadership positions are often working to change the status quo, and when that happens, they need their superiors and colleagues to not be afraid to stand behind them. “If you bring me in to make changes to your organization, and in six months, people come complaining about the changes, are you going to stand with me? Or are you going to stand with the complainers?” asked Melanie. “If we tell you that there is a problem, you should believe us and do something about it,” said Ellen.
Having a supportive manager can make all the difference. “My current manager is an exemplar of what a manager should be,” said Bea. “She validates my feelings before giving advice, and takes action to address problems that I bring up. When given a hard assignment, she doesn’t just push me into the spotlight without giving me any help. She’s a thought partner with me.”
Women of color should inquire about the organization’s readiness to onboard and share power before taking on the job. Questions such as, "What has this organization done to prepare for a leader of color to be effective?" can help assess the organization's proactive efforts to address systemic barriers and create opportunities for advancement and success for women of color.
Employee Resource Groups
Establishing Employee Resource Groups (ERG) for women of color can provide a supportive community and amplify their voices within the organization. “If you want to retain people of color, bring several of them in simultaneously so they can bond and rely on each other. Listen to what they need to be successful and be willing to do it,” said Melanie. The organization must provide an adequate budget for ERG-sponsored activities, invest in bringing experts to support the work, and educate leaders of the ERGs on how to create charters and do the work. In addition, employers should provide additional benefits to the leaders of ERGs. These benefits could include stipends, gift cards, or additional time off as tokens of appreciation. Too often, this type of work has been performed by women and people of color without sufficient compensation, recognition, or career advancement.
Women of color should determine if ERGs and other support systems are available at the organization. Asking questions like, “How long have your ERGs been established? Do the leaders receive any compensation? Do they have a budget and other resources?” can help assess organizational commitment to supporting minorities.
Bias, Discrimination, and Microaggressions
Organizations should go beyond check-the-box DEI initiatives and embed equitable processes into their culture and operations. This includes creating clear procedures for reporting and addressing incidents of bias and discrimination and ensuring accountability at all levels of the organization. They also need to develop and enforce comprehensive anti-discrimination, anti-racist policies, ensuring all team members undergo and are required to incorporate learnings from targeted and continuous diversity, equity, and inclusion training.
Women of color should ask about anti-discrimination and sexual harassment policies and procedures for handling incidents. Not having written policies and procedures for dealing with discrimination and harassment is a red flag. Speaking to current or past employers can be very informative in learning how an organization deals with racism, sexism, and microaggressions. Ask if they are able to bring personal and cultural expressions to the workplace or if they feel the need to conform to a specific culture. Do not rely solely on the impression given by the hiring committee.
Women of color routine receive microaggressions at work, and workplaces should not put the burden of countering them on women of color. Employees should receive training that teaches them to recognize microaggressions and nip them in the bud. For example, praising a Black woman for being “articulate” or an Asian woman for her command of the English language, or assuming that all Latin Americans are good dancers are the types of compliments that undermine a sense of belonging for women of color.
Removing bias from performance evaluations is also something employees need to work on. Women are often criticized for their tone and demeanor in ways that men never are. Words like “abrasive” are applied to women for doing the same things as men who are praised for being “assertive.” If you are going to pass judgment, take a step back and reflect, would I say the same thing about Tony, or someone white and male? Better yet, don’t make any assumptions about someone’s abilities, intentions, or temperament, even if they are positive. Give praise and appreciation where they are due, and gentle suggestions and requests for everything else. Just like in a long term romantic relationship, take the responsibility of asking for what you need, check to see if your expectations are realistic, and assume that employees committed to their work can be trusted to do their best.
Mentorship and Sponsorship
Mentorship and sponsorship programs are vital to advancing women of color in organizations. Women of color are often not offered membership into male-dominated networks that facilitate career advancement. Organizations can bridge this gap by offering tailored professional development opportunities such as leadership training, coaching, skill-building workshops, financial expertise, and paid board opportunities. These initiatives ensure that women of color are aware of and can access career pathways that may otherwise remain inaccessible to them.
Sponsorship programs, where senior leaders advocate for women of color, are equally vital in promoting visibility and access to advancement opportunities. Research from PayScale Inc. reveals that employees with a sponsor earn 11.6% more than those without one. Notably, for men, the "sponsorship premium" is even higher at 12.3%, compared to 10.2% for women. Addressing entrenched biases in these programs is critical to combating the predominance of white male leadership in corporate boards and executive teams.
Women of color should proactively seek mentors and sponsors within and outside the organization. Senior leaders often overlook women of color for mentoring but if women of color take the initiative to ask to be mentored, they may be receptive. In addition, regularly seeking feedback from peers and supervisors is essential for identifying areas of strength and areas of opportunity. By fostering these relationships, women of color can enhance their professional upward mobility, staying informed and engaged by continuously learning industry trends, acquiring new skills, and adopting leading practices.
Work-Life Balance
Promoting work-life balance through flexible work arrangements, wellness programs, and robust maternity leave policies. "Terms like 'soft life' and 'work-life balance' are gaining traction, in part because they resonate with the belief that life should not revolve solely around work," emphasized Dr. Yasmene Mumby, Communications Director for the Advanced Education Research & Development Fund. "Rejecting the expectation of being the 'strong Black women’ (and all women of color) at work means challenging the unsustainable urgency to produce and respond around the clock."
Moreover, organizations must confront the disparities women of color face upon returning to work after childbirth. While specific statistics vary, studies consistently indicate a significant number of mothers experience job loss or reduced opportunities post-childbirth, particularly due to discrimination related to pregnancy. Addressing these challenges requires proactive policies and cultural shifts within organizations, such as phased return-to-work plans, flexible schedules, and support networks to ensure a smooth transition and promote a culture where women feel valued and supported.
In addition to childcare, women of color are often caregivers for parents, siblings, and extended family members. Sometimes they serve as translators or support family living abroad. It is important that medical and caregiving policies have flexibility to allow women of color to fulfill those caretaking roles.
Another way empathetic employers could support women of color is by offering menopause support, as women of color may face unique challenges related to their physical and mental health during this stage of life. Resources such as education, cold water stations, meditation spaces, counseling, coaching, and flexible work arrangements can help women navigate this transition with dignity and comfort.
Preventing Burnout
Women of color are often expected to do more work and perform tasks that are not part of their job description, including administrative and emotional labor. Work such as arranging lunch, taking notes for meetings, and scheduling are more likely to be assigned to women of color. Saying no to these tasks can cause a woman of color to be labeled as “difficult.” Research from various sources, such as studies by the Center for Talent Innovation and the Harvard Business Review, illuminates how these expectations contribute to higher turnover rates and diminished career advancement opportunities for women of color compared to their peers.
Organizations must avoid perpetuating these harmful dynamics by changing expectations and organizational culture. To promote a culture of equity, high value assignments should be equitably distributed and men and white people should also be expected to take turns doing “housework” and emotional labor. Serving on committees and doing DEI work should also be rewarded, not just with kudos, but with additional pay and benefits.
Women of color need to set boundaries and advocate for themselves to prevent burnout. Ruchika Tulshyan, author of the book Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work, encourages women of color to remind their employers that in order to do the work they are hired to do, they need to be able to turn down extraneous work. Be realistic about the amount of work you take on, and don’t be afraid to say no to work beyond your job description. Be willing to request help and ask for resources. Make sure that team members are pulling their weight. Don’t promise more than you can deliver.
Moving On
While there are many strategies for staying in a workplace, sometimes we have to move on when our physical and mental health depend on it. However, if immediate departure from a job is not possible, seek ways to mitigate the harmful and abusive effects. Take more time off so that you have a chance to recover and reduce your workload. Develop a clear and time-bound plan to exit the toxic environment. Protecting your physical and mental health should be a primary concern, even when navigating challenging workplace dynamics.
As you contemplate leaving a job, seek to understand your rights. Are you entitled to severance pay? Unemployment compensation? Could you sue for discrimination or retaliation? (Make sure you keep records of interactions that can help you make the case.) Negotiating the terms of separation, including a severance package, at the time of the job offer can provide a safety net when everyone is trying to start off on good footing. Also create a rainy day fund to ensure financial stability during your transition period.
The Will to Thrive
While leaving a toxic workplace can be a painful and traumatic experience, women of color also find ways to heal and thrive in new roles. After Sara left her toxic workplace, she spoke with several colleagues and supportive team members at her organization who shared their own experiences of bad management and inequitable treatment at the organization. “It was really validating to hear that I was not alone in experiencing these problems,” she said. “My former colleagues helped me feel that my leaving was the organization’s loss and some of them actually felt empowered to set their own boundaries because I left.”
“It’s really hard to see how bad it is when you’re in the thick of a bad job, like you always hear that ‘your manager can make or break a job,’ but you don’t realize how true that statement is until you experience a bad and a good manager,” said Stephanie after her first year into a new job. “My manager is wonderful, my colleagues are supportive. I no longer have high stress like I had at my old job.”
“I started my own consulting business doing work I was doing for organizations,” said Melanie. “I get to make my own schedule and pick my own clients. I choose to work with organizations aligned with my values. I’m serving from a full saucer rather than an empty cup.”
“I’m running for office,” said Ellen. “It turns out I’m pretty good at campaigning, and that’s uplifting. I like talking to people about the issues, and I'm getting people to care about this race. I’m also doing consulting and legal work in my field. It’s hard not to have the security of a full-time job, but that goes for any type of self-employment. I’m not making as much money as I used to, but the work-life balance is better, and that’s healthier for me and my family.”
Kamala Harris rose to the top when the Democratic party was in crisis. Will she get the support she needs in order to succeed? There will definitely be those looking to tear her down. If she doesn’t, it’s not only her who will suffer, but all of us. When women of color are allowed to thrive, so does everyone.
BIOS
Clara Fang Ph.D. is the CEO of Green Tara Consulting and Managing Director of Oasis: A Green Equity Collective, an association for DEI practitioners in the environmental sector. For more than twenty years, she has advocated for equitable and inclusive climate solutions, consulted on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace, and fostered wellness and belonging among environmental activists and professionals. Her recent publications include "Who are climate activists and what do they do? A study of diversity in the US climate movement" (2024), "To change everything, we need everyone: Belonging, equity, and diversity in the U.S. climate movement" (2023), and "Centering equity in climate resilience planning and action" (2022). In addition to a Ph.D. in environmental studies from Antioch University, Dr. Fang also holds a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University, an MFA in Creative Writing from University of Utah, and a BA in English from Smith College.
Illyasha “Illy” Peete, MBA, Founder and CEO of Catalyze and Cultivate Consulting, champions inclusive and sustainable access for historically excluded voices. Rooted in a heritage of civil rights activism, Illy's dedication to Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Liberation (B-IDEAL) drives transformative change across sectors, from climate and health to education and biotech. Her work at the Center of Excellence in Nonprofits, California Life Sciences, and ClimateWorks Foundation exemplifies her ability to embed IDEAL values into organizational cultures. Illy offers services in leadership development, organizational culture transformation, strategic planning, tailored culture assessments, and keynote speaking. Illy catalyzes dialogue, cultural evolution, and pioneering initiatives, continually seeking partnerships to advance equity and justice.