What Are African American Women's Struggles In The Workforce

African American Women struggles in the Workforce

Although African American women have made some progress in attaining higher status positions, the majority were forced into menial, poor paying jobs. The workforce is not a place in which African American women can hope to prevail and easily succeed. Racial and sexual discrimination still occurs today. Remember, the inequalities placed on African American women in the workforce are not new. Historically, African American women have worked outside the home since their origin in America. They have worked as laborers, domestics, beauticians, school teachers, nurses, and much less often as doctors and lawyers. Institutional racism imposed on the African American women economically, occupationally, psychologically, and physically as a way of maintaining the status quo, was that of a dominant white society. The experience of African American women in the workplace can be characterized as one of economic and sexual exploitation. In the beginning, the major threat for African American women was the disruption of the family through the sale of her family members. To protect her family she used whatever means necessary. Generally, African American women are the subject of most discussions, when there
2). This statement would seem imply that all people, regardless of creed, gender, race or ethnicity, have equal access to the advancement in all facets of life. Regardless of this conceptions’ status as a distinguish American ideal, complete equality among all groups of people has and will never be a reality in our country. There are too many different groups of people categorized into a hierarchy and sustain innumerable degrees of wealth, power, and prestige, habitually as a result of prejudice and