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Nov 2018
56m 8s

Sisterhood Is Scarce

Harvard Business Review
About this episode

The glass ceiling is the classic symbol of the barrier women bump into as we go through our careers. But for women of color, that barrier is more like a concrete wall. If we’re going to reduce workplace sexism and racism, women of all ethnicities need to work together. And it will be tough to do that unless we feel more connected to each other.

We talk with professors Ella Bell Smith and Stella Nkomo about how race, gender, and class play into the different experiences and relationships white women and women of color have at work. They explain how those differences can drive women apart, drawing from stories and research insights in their book, Our Separate Ways.

Our HBR reading list:

Our Separate Ways: Black and White Women and the Struggle for Professional Identity, by Ella L.J. Bell Smith and Stella M. Nkomo

How Black Women Describe Navigating Race and Gender in the Workplace,” by Maura Cheeks

Why Aren’t There More Asian Americans in Leadership Positions?” by Stefanie K. Johnson and Thomas Sy

Asian Americans Are the Least Likely Group in the U.S. to Be Promoted to Management,” by Buck Gee and Denise Peck

Get the discussion guide for this episode on our website: hbr.org/podcasts/women-at-work

Sign up for the Women at Work newsletter: hbr.org/email-newsletters

Fill out our survey about workplace experiences.

Email us: womenatwork@hbr.org

Our theme music is Matt Hill’s “City In Motion,” provided by Audio Network.

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