Abstract of "The Technicolor Workplace"
Author(s):
Bonita L. Betters-Reed and Lynda L. Moore
The changing demographics of the U.S. work force are making diversity management more important. One area in which such management is necessary is between European-American women and women of color. These groups are working together in greater numbers and in a greater variety of formal relationships than ever before. The problem is particularly difficult given that there are few role models or guidelines in place for women in the workforce.
Statistics show that more white women are managers than women of color. This leads to an oversimplification of the differences among women, and several false assumptions are made.
These false assumptions are listed and discussed in the main body of the article.
False Assumption No. 1: White women do not have "race"
It has been found that members of the dominant culture are frequently suspicious of gatherings of members of minority groups. They do not recognize that they themselves have the privilege of gathering with others in the dominant culture. This results in an abeyant model of thinking at the organizational level, which tends to view white women more like white men and women of color more like white women.
False Assumption No. 2: All women experience discrimination in the same way
Sexism does not impact European-American women and women of color in the same way. Women of
color tend to be more
sensitive to sexism because of racial discrimination and more sensitive to racial discrimination because of the sexism that they experience.
There are four major differences between the experiences of Euro-American women and those of women of color:
- Women of color are often viewed as having gained a position because of affirmative action and not through competent work, whereas white women and men are almost always viewed as having obtained a position because of competency.
- If a woman of color makes a mistake, it is often blamed on her gender and race.
- Women of color are often placed in positions without clear job definitions, without appropriate budgets, and without upward job mobility.
- Managers tend to promote individuals who fit their own image. Often women of color do not fit these subjective molds. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the higher one rises in a corporation, the more subjective the criteria for advancement.
False Assumption No. 3: Work experiences affect women of color and white women in the same ways
Women of color and white women have different cultural backgrounds and therefore respond differently to the same experiences. This is not recognized in a work environment that is designed for the Anglo male. For example, African-American women have been socialized to protect African-American men. When a situation arises where there is competition between the two, the women tend to withdraw. Further, Asian-American cultures place high value on collaboration, and women within this culture may feel that they have to choose between their own identity and loyalty to their group.
False Assumption No. 4: There are sure and tangible solutions to improved understanding and communication among women
The authors state that the problem varies slightly for each corporation, institution, etc., and it is therefore impossible to offer one solution.
The authors then provide the ingredients necessary to formulate successful solutions:
- Initiating dialogue between men and women.
- Switching the focus from differences between women and men and between various ethnic groups to the more complex differences among specific social categories.
- Training all employees (including management) on issues related to gender and race.
- Linking the understanding of these cultural differences to the strategic direction of the company
- Allocating the needed resources for human resource professionals to develop, implement, and monitor measures for retention, career planning, and staff development with the specific inclusion of diverse women.
Abstract by Rae Lewis
Bonita L. Betters-Reed and Lynda L. Moore
"The Technicolor Workplace"
U.S. Woman Engineer: Magazine of the Society of Women Engineers
(May/June , 1993):