As we celebrate and acknowledge Black History Month, C200 is committed to taking action to address the long-standing racial inequality in the business world, which affects businesswomen of color the most. The lack of women, especially women of color, in positions of profit and loss (P&L) leadership roles in business is a product of systemic and institutional bias and exclusion. For any odds that women in business have against them, they are exponentially true for women of color—particularly Black women.
This month, C200 will use our platforms to reflect and take action by sharing information and resources that highlight the reality Black women in the workplace, at all levels of business, face daily, so that we can spark important conversations about what it truly means to advance women in business, especially Black women.
We acknowledge that to bring about real progress for women in the business landscape, we must advance all women in that effort. We also acknowledge that this conversation must continue beyond Black History Month, because every businesswoman’s struggle for equality, leadership, and success in the workplace—although each personal and unique—is connected.
Below, please find a non-exhaustive list of studies and reports about women entrepreneurs and corporate executives in the workplace, particularly Black women.
- Black Women Are More Likely to Start a Business than White Men | Harvard Business Review
- A look at Black-owned businesses: A higher share of Black-owned businesses are women-owned than non-Black businesses | USA Facts
- The State of Black Women in Corporate America | Lean In
- Women in the Workplace 2023 Report | McKinsey
- Who is driving Black business growth? Insights from the latest data on Black-owned businesses | Brookings
- A look at Black-owned businesses in the US by sector, state and more | Pew Research Center
- Black women have driven Black-owned businesses to above pre-pandemic levels | NPR
- Black Fortune 500 CEOs reach record high number | Fortune
- How diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) matter | McKinsey
“We acknowledge that to bring about real progress for women in the business landscape, we must advance all women in that effort. We also acknowledge that this conversation must continue beyond Black History Month, because every businesswoman’s struggle for equality, leadership, and success in the workplace—although each personal and unique—is connected.”
Hear, hear! Great post, thank you C200 team.