Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for Sheena B. | Delivered April 9, 2021

Professional Women of Color Habits and Challenges

Goals

To understand the social media habits of professional women of color, the challenges they face developing their leadership skills and moving into management roles, and the role wellness play in their career. 

Early Findings

Our initial hour of research suggests that data on the specific demographic is limited. Most related research are broader (example: 18-34 years or Black women workers in general) and not specific to those between the ages of 25 and 40. Our initial hour of research also suggests that focusing on Black Women and Latino Women separately will yield better results than focusing on women of color in general. 
Online Social Media HabitsNielsen Research found that Facebook (72%) is the top social media platform used by Black Women.
"Black Millennial women (18-34) spend more weekly time than their older counterparts on multimedia devices and game consoles."
Black Millennial women spend 18:35 hours weekly on app/web on a smartphone.
Black Millennial women spend 5:56 hours weekly on the internet on a PC. 
Challenges Developing Leadership Skills And Challenges Moving into ManagementA study of 43 African American executives in the US revealed that a key challenge Black women face when seeking to move into leadership roles is finding the right tone that will communicate assertiveness "rather than that of an attitude or an Angry Black woman stereotype."
The study found that other key challenges on the road to leadership for Black Women include lack of mentorship, discrimination, stereotype, racism, sexism, leadership ability not valued, under-representation, and a glass ceiling.
A different study on African American Women in leadership positions in Academics also noted racial and gender bias as the biggest challenges they faced on the road to leadership positions.
Wellness in CareerA study published in Havard Business Review found that "both greater endorsement of the Strong Black Woman ideal and higher levels of general social media use was associated with adverse mental health and lower self-esteem" for Black women.
SummaryIn the initial hour of research, we were able to find preliminary data on the challenges black women face developing leadership skills and moving into management positions.
We were also able to find a few relevant data points on how Black women in general use social media.
We were unable to conduct significant research on the role wellness play in their career.