Women of Colour are a highly educated and engaged demographic. In the ‘war for talent’ organisations that are able to create safe and inclusive cultures where Women of Colour are seen, valued, heard and promoted, will win.

Despite better awareness of legal responsibilities of organisations and institutions, such as Anti-Discrimination and Respect@Work laws, and increasing onus on organisations to provide psychosocial safety at work, our findings show that discrimination against Women of Colour is escalating in organisations. In this report, we point to the limitations of legal protections when Women of Colour are dismissed or heavily penalised for reporting their experiences.

In our deep dive into Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies and initiatives, we find that Women of Colour experience these as largely tokenistic, demonstrating that they are not tailored to be effective for the most marginalised people within organisations. Compounding this, our sharp focus on gender parity and representation, without an intersectional lens, may be leading to more harm. Therefore, this report calls for more intersectional approaches to designing, implementing and measuring initiatives designed to include or support diverse employees and stakeholders.

KEY STATISTICS

◆ 1,004 Women of Colour across Australia had their say

◆ 2 in 3 Women of Colour have experienced discrimination in the workplace (68.4%)

◆ This is almost a 10% increase from 2021 (59.6%)

◆ Racism is the predominant type of discrimination experience (accounting for 93.8%) – gender equity without intersectionality, is compounding the harm Women of Colour face

◆ 2 in 5 Women of Colour do not have or are unsure about the availability of effective mechanisms to report discrimination (40.7%).

◆ Only 3 in 10 Women of Colour felt that if they did report discrimination, serious and appropriate action would be taken (29.7%); the vast majority felt any action would be superficial or no action would be taken or that they would face retaliation for doing so.

◆ Engagement ≠ retention, revealing structural issues persist in organisations

◆ The top 3 reasons for intention to leave their employer are (1) a lack of career progression and opportunities, (2) discrimination, racism and bias, and (3) job insecurity and temporary positions.

◆ 2 in 3 Women of Colour actively navigate multiple identities at work (64.8%), with 1 in 3 reporting feeling exhausted and fatigued (33%.2%)

◆ The majority of Women of Colour have caring roles (54.4%) highlighting the need for flexible work and supportive policies

◆ Almost 3 in 4 (72%) Women of Colour feel underpaid, with the vast majority asked to do unpaid work (80%) and expected to do more work than others at a similar level (88%). Meanwhile, their contributions are consistently undervalued.

◆ 6 in 7 Women of Colour feel that they are not included in the decision-making process (85%), 4 in 5 are not listened to (81%), 5 in 7 are not given opportunities (70%), 1 in 2 don’t feel valued for their lived experiences and skills (55%).

The recommendations provide tangible and actionable insights for organisations, HR leaders, government and policy bodies. These recommendations are from Women of Colour directly and highlight that traditional White models of leadership, management and organisational structures are outdated and need to be rethought and redesigned to be ‘fit for purpose’ for our diverse society.

Download the Full Report: Women of Colour in Australian Workplaces