Women facing ‘shocking’ racism at work

BAME women workers are facing “shocking structural racism”, according to a report from the Runnymede Trust think tank and Fawcett Society charity that documents the experiences of 2,000 women from different ethnic minority groups and religions.

The “landmark” survey, Broken Ladders, found evidence that “harmful, pervasive and entrenched racism” is suffered by BAME women workers “at every stage of their career journey” with three-quarters having experienced racism at work and 27% enduring racial slurs.

The report revealed that 61% of BAME women changed their speech, hair, food, clothes or name to fit in, compared to 44% of White women, while 39% said their wellbeing had been affected by lack of career progression, compared to 28% of White women.

The report also highlighted differences between ethnic groups, with half of women from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black African backgrounds saying they had been criticised for behaviour accepted in other colleagues, while Black Caribbean, East Asian and Chinese women were more likely to feel uncomfortable with workplace culture.