America’s Got Bias: Workplace Hair Discrimination In Spotlight
Discrimination against black women for their hairstyles is rampant in workplaces.
“Too black.”
Apparently actress Gabrielle Union was fired from her position as a judge on “America’s Got Talent” because as an African-American woman, her hairstyles were deemed not appropriate or comfortable for some audiences to watch, according to reports.
This is part of a much bigger problem of racism at work, and a pervasive one.
“Apparently actress @itsgabrielleu was fired from #AGT because her hairstyles were deemed not appropriate. This is part of a much bigger problem of #racism at work, and a pervasive one. ”
According to Variety, Union also called out racist comments by guest judge Jay Leno. Coming to her defense on the unfairness were Time’s Up CEO Tina Tchen and Howard Stern. Julianne Hough, the other female on the team, was also fired, but reasons were not given for her departure.
“Despite seeing a ratings decline for at least three years, the show’s social media presence has doubled since Union and Hough replaced longtime female judges Melanie Brown (of Spice Girls fame) and model-host Heidi Klum. The 18-episode season that wrapped in September generated 25 million social media impressions, approximately half of which engaged directly with Union, according to figures from Nielsen Social, effectively making her the most popular judge. This year’s AGT finale drew approximately 10 million viewers, down three million from the year before but top rated in the 18-49 demographic,” Variety reports.
Across the country, hair discrimination laws are making such an act illegal.
“Across the country, #HairDiscrimination laws are making such an act illegal. #HairLove ”
In February of this year, Refinery 29 reports, a law in New York City “specifically ensures protection for Black New Yorkers, who are often targeted at work and in schools, from facing disciplinary actions based on hair. Black Americans have long experienced discrimination in employment, housing, and education because of how they choose to wear their hair.”
According to Refinery 29, “The new wording of the law adds to the city’s existing ordinances against discrimination based on protected class. It was written by the New York City Commission on Human Rights as an extension of the statue banning racial discrimination. Under the new guidelines, the commission explains that hairstyle and texture are part and parcel of racial expression — including “natural hair, treated or untreated hairstyles such as locs, cornrows, twists, braids, Bantu knots, fades, Afros, and/or the right to keep hair in an uncut or untrimmed state.”
In Alabama recently, the “Montgomery County Council unanimously passed legislation that bans discrimination based on natural hairstyles, making it one of the first jurisdictions in the country to approve this kind of policy,” according to WAMU.
“The legislation is called the CROWN Act, short for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. It prohibits discrimination in the workplace, public accommodations and other areas based on the hairstyles worn by some minority communities, including braids, afros, curls and twists. The law’s main purpose is to update Montgomery County’s existing anti-discrimination policy to clarify that discrimination based on natural hair counts as racial discrimination. The CROWN Act expands the definition of race to include “traits historically associated with race,” such as hair texture and protective hairstyles,” WAMU reports.
A similar bill was proposed recently in Florida, according to reports. “State Sen. Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando, filed Senate Bill 566, also known as the CROWN Act, which stands for ‘Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural’ hair act. He said African Americans face hair discrimination at the workplace and in schools every day, adding many are forced to change their appearances.”
Read more in Take The Lead on CEO of black hair care empire
“As a result, countless people of color, particularly women, have felt compelled to undergo time-consuming, costly, and damaging measures to adhere to Eurocentric standards of professionalism,” Bracy said.
Discrimination based on appearance and rooted in racial bias happens in workplaces across the country, as an “attractiveness advantage” is a bias based on white norms or ideals for appearance and dress.
“#Discrimination based on appearance happens in workplaces across the country, as an “attractiveness advantage” is a bias based on white norms. @mindaharts #RacialBias”
Minda Harts, CEO of The Memo, and author of the acclaimed and best-selling, The Memo: What Women Of Color Need To Know To Secure A Seat At The Table, writes in her new book: “During our career boot camps at The Memo, I hear many of our members talk about what it would be like to work for a company that doesn’t care about superficial things like hair. And when our names won’t be our plight and we can be unapologetically black or born.”
Read more on Minda Harts in Take The Lead
Harts writes, “My advice for women of color is to continue to knock it out the park when it comes to your performance at work, and then slowly show up in your full glory. With that said, don’t forget that as women we can also decide not to work for companies or organizations that focus on blowouts over braids.”
A study by the Perception Institute in 2017 found that one in five black women feel social pressure to straighten their hair for work and are much more likely than white women to feel anxiety over the issue.
“A study by @perceptioninst in 2017 found that one in five #BlackWomen feel social pressure to straighten their hair for work. #NaturalHairLove”
Forbes reports Shonda Rimes, the extremely successful Hollywood powerhouse and creator of TV shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “How To Get Away With Murder,” recently partnered with the brand Dove, to fight against hair discrimination in women and girls of color.
“@Forbes reports @shondarhimes recently partnered with the brand @Dove to fight against hair discrimination in women and girls of color. #ShowUs #CrownAct”
“Dove found that a black woman is 80% more likely to change her natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work and 50% more likely to be sent home or know of a black woman sent home from the workplace because of her hair,” according to Forbes.
Read more in Take The Lead on handling racism at work
Black women in the US are 30% more likely to receive a formal grooming policy in the workplace, Dove reports. “As part of the study, 2,000 women between 25 and 64 working in office settings were enrolled in a number of tests to study bias towards black women’s hair. When shown two images of the same hairstyle on both black and white women, the white woman was rated 25% higher in ‘job readiness.’ Meanwhile, natural black hairstyles were ranked the lowest in ‘job readiness,’” according to Cosmetics Business.
“Black women in the US are 30% more likely to receive a formal grooming policy in the workplace, @Dove reports. #HairDiscrimination”
“What is even more shocking is that hair discrimination has been legal in all 50 states. Dove co-founded the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Coalition in partnership with the National Urban League, Color Of Change, and Western Center on Law and Poverty. The mission is to advance efforts to end hair discrimination and to create a more equitable and inclusive beauty experience for black women and girls. Through their efforts hair discrimination is now illegal in the states of California and New York. Dove and the CROWN Coalition along with Rhimes are continuing to help make hair discrimination illegal across the country through this signed petition,” Forbes reports.
Bias against women of color for how they wear their hair, or how they dress is well-documented. Many women of color report being reminded not to dress “too ethnic,” which is code for adhering to a white norm of professional attire and biased measures of attractiveness.
“Many #WOC report being reminded not to dress “too ethnic,” which is code for adhering to a white norm of professional attire and biased measures of attractiveness. #Discrimination ”
HR Executive reports, “While other biases—related to race, ethnicity, gender, age or sexual identity—are frequently discussed and addressed in the workplace, attractiveness bias is rarely given the time of day, according to Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at University College London and Columbia University, and chief talent scientist for ManpowerGroup.”
“Historically, there are good reasons to focus on protected classes, disadvantaged groups, ethnic minorities and older workers—all those demographic groups that are often the target of discrimination—but there isn’t a clear equivalent with attractiveness,” Chamorro-Premuzic tells HR Executive.
Research from the University of Toronto shows that racial discrimination in the workplace is rampant and can be tied to appearance.
“Research from @UofT shows that racial #discrimination in the workplace is rampant and can be tied to appearance. #AppearanceDiscrimination”
“Phani Radhakrishnan, an associate professor, teaching stream, in the department of management at the University of Toronto Scarborough, is an expert on cross-cultural differences and ethnic discrimination in the workplace,” and her work explores the socialization-stressor model, which helps explain and predict how organizational climates and stressors, such as racial harassment and discrimination, can affect employees.
She says, “A common thread is the practice of not sharing information or not providing opportunities. Harassment also includes derogation like teasing, making jokes and comments. Discrimination on the other end is seen in pay, how you are rated on your performance and if you’re promoted. So those are performance-based. And then in the middle you have a grey area where one can lead to the other. And those are the subtle things that happen like opportunities, training and career advancement.”
Rhimes tells Forbes that she is confident discrimination based on hair and appearance can end. She says, “I do believe that we all have the power to create change. Sometimes, it’s not enough to simply take an action yourself – we have to get others involved to create a movement. We have to use our voices and spread the word. I started by signing the CROWN Act petition to bring anti-hair discrimination legislation to more states around the country – and everyone reading this can do the same.”
“@Shondarhimes tells @Forbes that she is confident discrimination based on hair and appearance can end. She says, “I do believe that we all have the power to create change.” #ChangeMaker ”
