AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESSWOMEN FACE DOUBLE JEOPARDY

Although firms have been implementing programs to improve diversity in the workplace, recent evidence indicates that race and gender barriers still exist, to a large degree, in terms of advancement at higher level positions. The Fortune marketing Report (1996) indicated that 97% of senior managers in Fortune 1000 and 500 companies were white and male. These findings seem to suggest that both a racial and gender limitation may exist for African-American females with respect to career growth.

The traditional sociological theory employed to comprehend the status of females in America has been the analogy of race and sex. This analogy implies that women of color are constrained both by their sex and racial origin; what might be referred to as "double jeopardy" from the African-American female's perspective. This simplistic approach does not adequately convey the workings of multiple forms of discrimination, such as racism, sexism and classism, which have a multiplicative and direct effect in limiting the status of women. Systemic and structural discrimination by organizations places African-American women in multiple jeopardy. Their inability to advance results from barriers, such as not being networked, inability to get a mentor, exclusion from information relationships, being given less challenging assignments that may result in poor evaluations and being placed in secondary job positions which do not lead to top management positions. Accordingly, multiplicative discrimination implies that an understanding of African American women's status in corporations must involve not only gender and race, but also other corporate prejudices.

While firms may feel that women are employable at certain levels, they also still perceive women to lack some of the necessary qualities required for advancement above those levels. In many instances, male managers devalue female managers who exhibit dominant leadership styles.

Recommendations for the upward mobility of African American women, include the establishment of mentoring programs. A manager's career can be enhanced if adequate support, such as performance feedback and mentoring is present. Mentors and/or supervisors can provide advice and advancement opportunities to their mentee or subordinate. Mentoring support should have an impact on job advancement and career success.

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