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A Balck Woman in Corporate

 While we fight for equal pay amongst women and men, we need to separate the category of women; there are black women, then there are white women. Within these categories, there are clear wage gaps and clear value of the one, over the other, with the other being black women.

I have come to realise that white people do not realise their privilege and supremacy complex, there fake fading smiles when you walk past them, almost to say, “What are you doing in my space”. I don’t think they realise  that we can see right through those half baked smiles. There coldness and uninviting energy makes you self-aware and reminds you, that you are in the wrong place, this is not your space and as long as you can remember that, you will be okay. However white people are not the only problem black women face in corporate, black men also contribute to the demise of black women in the workplace.
I worked for a company that was ran by black men and fell victim to the corporate abuse that black women all over corporate go through, hard work with little pay and little recognition. 

  When I worked in the academia, I remember conversations with black women, who had their Ph.D.’s and Postgraduate qualifications, they still fell under the oppressive system, that did not recognise black women as the brilliant academics and minds that they are. Our universities have a great way of hiding behind transformation, when the media and the public are watching, but on the ground, the pass staff are victims of old white professors and black male professor egos. There seems to be no safe space for black women in academia and in corporate and even government.
This separation in women struggles needs to be clear and distinctive, somehow the government equity act seems to group women as though they are one and that their struggle is the same. We must quickly correct this notion, that is why we have seen a break away from feminism by black women, to a better-defined wing called womanism, which speaks directly to women of colour and their struggles.

Black women in the workspace are at the bottom of any corporate ladder and many times are used as score points for companies to gain better BEE points. There is a sudden sadness I feel when I look at and hear black women, their voices seem to be heard when there are big days ahead, and the call transformation is ever so loud as elections draw near. Companies are made to hire more black(s) and more black women. I have noticed that corporate has been very smart with the employment strategies. More and more companies are hiring black women, but very few are hiring black women at top management. It’s like being invited to a dinner party and being made to sit at the last table by the door or by the kitchen, watching the main table being served first with you looking onward, many times you get the last bit of food that is left over. 

Many black women are ok with this and prefer not to talk too much because of the fear of being fired. There are laws and policies that protect employees, but the reality is that the company knows these very well and have their ways of pushing you out.
While we talk about qualification and salary, being a black woman you are still the least earning, while a person at your level, with the same amount of experience, who happens to be a white male or female and even a black male still gets more than you. The reality of black women in corporate is that they are abused and are not recognised at the same level as their counterparts. 
My experience has taught me many things and I continue to learn many things, in hopes that I will be able to change my own overview of my blackness and gender. I still agree to lower pay then what I know I ’m worth, I still say yes when I mean no, I still check around me at work to see who is there before I speak on the issues of my blackness and of those women who are in the space. 
There needs to be more women in spaces of leadership who are fearless in speaking about these disparities. There needs to far more in-depth audits made into companies of the level of employment of black females. Having companies that have a large number of black females employed does not mean the company is transformed. The audits need to look at how many black women are in management positions, look at the salaries of the employees in relations to each other; one cannot earn more than the other in the same position.  There needs to be an audit of the process of promotions and who gets them and on what merit.

The county needs to be more cognisant of their policies and how they are implemented. The role of the government is to facilitate this transformation and to ensure that it is working.
Black women cannot and must not continue to be the doormats of white supremacy and black male egos. There needs to a conscious decision taken to facilitate and monitor this transformation. There are millions of capable black women who are great at their jobs, but very little respect is given to them.



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