We鈥檝e all heard the sobering statistics. More CEOs of Fortune 500 corporations are than are women. In the U.S., women comprise nearly half the labor force, but hold just 21% of C-suite positions (a category that includes CEOs and those who report to them directly), according to . For women of color, the study found that the share of C-suite jobs falls to just 4%.
But some local Black women have defied the odds 鈥� overcoming both those dismal statistics and a host of challenges on the job to rise to executive positions. Three of them were recently featured on a panel by the St. Louis Forum, which promotes the advancement of women in the area. They joined Friday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air to share their observations and experiences with a larger audience.
They discussed the difficulties in being one of a very select few.
鈥淭he challenge is not having anyone that you can talk to that can relate to the issue that you鈥檙e dealing with,鈥� explained Adrian Bracy, CEO of the YWCA of Metro St. Louis. 鈥淚t鈥檚 lonely. It鈥檚 just lonely in this spot. You don鈥檛 want to be the only Black female in the room. You want someone who can understand, someone you can talk to.鈥�
Danette Greer is now the global enterprise client and partner development lead for World Wide Technology. She said she left the field she鈥檇 initially chosen for her career, engineering, after being told she needed to 鈥渂lend in鈥� more.
And while working in IT and tech proved more hospitable, it came with its own challenges. 鈥淚鈥檓 a woman in a male-dominated industry,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 felt like I was getting it from so many different angles, and it became a question of, 鈥榃ho鈥檚 ready for me? Because I have something to bring, and I鈥檓 not going to quit.鈥欌��
The women said they鈥檇 found other Black female executives to provide emotional support through sororities or professional organizations, and then took on-the-job mentoring where they could get it from white colleagues or male ones.
On the job, they said they鈥檇 found themselves battling notions of company 鈥渃ulture鈥� or 鈥渇it鈥� 鈥� which can be a way to excuse hiring more people who look like the white, male managers running the place 鈥� and the rejection of their ideas with phrases like 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not how we do things.鈥�
Zundra Bryant, senior director in HR Operations Services at Centene Corp., noted that 鈥渨hen you are the 鈥榦nly鈥� or the 鈥榝irst鈥� in the room, that鈥檚 usually the response you get initially.
鈥淎nd you have to make the decision: Is the emotional energy it takes to persevere worth the effort? A lot of times it is, and sometimes it isn鈥檛.鈥�
Being asked to fit into a culture that rejects you, Bracy added, 鈥渋s a true burden, trying not to be yourself. If you鈥檙e trying to fit into a culture that鈥檚 not aligned with your personal values or your personal mission, chances are, you鈥檙e not going to stay.鈥�
Studies have suggested that corporate America鈥檚 problem with people of color, and Black women in particular, is .
Greer urged people in a position to change their company culture, or uplift someone of a culture other than their own, to act.
鈥淲e need to pause and ask, 鈥榃hat are we going to do about it tangibly?鈥� We cannot always be reactive to the threats and the fears of those who feel like they have to defend their territory every time it looks like somebody like me is being empowered,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have to get past that. If not, these listening sessions will start to sound more like entertainment, instead of real, actionable discussions that drive change.鈥�
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , and . The audio engineer is .
