Black women today are breaking down barriers in career, entrepreneurship, and education. And all despite the racism and sexism working against them on a daily basis. If you don't know the statistics, here are some highlights and lowlights:

Black Women Are Forging Ahead Despite a Concrete Ceiling

• Education- Black women are enrolling in college at a higher rate than White men.
• Ambition- Over forty-one percent of Black women claim they want to be a C- Level Executive.
• Black Women Businesses - Grew by over six hundred percent between 1997 and 2017. Compared to only thirty-nine percent of White women-owned businesses and 114% for women-owned businesses overall.
• Vote- Despite voter suppression, Black women vote at higher rates than other groups. (six percent over the national average).

Black Women Face An Ongoing Uphill Battle in the Workplace.

• While Black women make up over seven percent of the total workforce, they also make up the total minimum wage earners at over twelve percent.
• Of the twenty-one percent of women C-Level Executives, only one percent are Black women.
• Over fifty-four percent of Black women say they are often underrepresented in meetings and are usually the only person of their race in the room.
• Black women are paid over thirty-eight percent less than White men and over twenty-one percent less than White women.
• Over seventy-six percent of Black women spend over three hours a day on housework, compared to fifty-five percent of White women.  

Implicit Bias In Healthcare Slowing Progression

Black women face the highest maternal death rates, and their likelihood of dying from a pregnancy-related cause is two and a half times higher in the US than that of White women. In 2019, for every one hundred thousand live births there were over forty-four maternal deaths for non-Hispanic Black women compared with seventeen deaths among White women.

A study by the National Institutes of Health found that healthcare providers were less likely to read and understand the facial expressions of Black faces compared to White ones, resulting in a disproportionate number of Black women being under or misdiagnosed, and treated without appropriate pain management.

Lack of Maternity Leave

Black women are less likely to have access to or take paid maternity leave. And pregnancy complications due to treatment protocol disparities can cause longer recovery time and often without pay. Increasing the odds for Black women to take indefinite departures from the workforce.

Black Women Are Marginalized from the Conversation

This International Women's Day we are amplifying the voices of Black Women. In order for all women to thrive, we must work together to educate and eliminate racial discrimination and misogyny from the healthcare system and the workplace.

In Good Health -