She works hard for the money. So hard honey, honey. So why hasn’t she reached the top yet?
The old boys club still exists despite what kumbaya corporate types think. Rutgers School of Management found that black women make 91 percent as much as their male counterparts. So much that many black women are leaving the corporate world to start their own businesses. In 2002 black women owned 547,341 companies up 75 percent more than previous years, according to the Small Business Administration.
For no substantial reason well educated, experienced and driven women are sometimes surpassed by subordinates with less qualifications.
Black women are still earning degrees in high numbers that “gives them many opportunities to do things on their own,” said Gwen Martin at the Center for Women’s Business Research.
The corporate world should be as a symbiotic relationship, not dependent. Black women should get the experience, references and credentials of a big name company. Taking the financial support from them, build your wealth and them move on to a loftier endeavor.
If you’re willing to stay in the corporate world and here is a list of companies that have great opportunities for women of color.
- Aetna, Inc in Hartford, CT
- Citigroup in New York, NY
- Coca-Cola Co. in Atlanta, GA
- Colgate-Palmolive in New York, NY
- Comcast in Philadelphia, PA
– List courtesy of CareerBuilder
