Research Studies

"Women of Color in Corporate Management: Three Years Later"

No authors cited
Catalyst, January 2002.

According to this Catalyst study, women of color have experienced positive career growth over the last three years but are less hopeful about their career prospects than they were in 1998. This report, which looks at the factors that affect minority women’s career advancement and retention, is a follow up on the organization’s groundbreaking "Women of Color in Corporate Management: Opportunities and Barriers." Among the key findings:

• Fifty-seven percent of the respondents experienced positive career growth in the last three years and the sample has seen an average increase in income of almost 40 percent.
• The number of women with mentors jumped from 35 percent in 1998 to 58 percent in 2001.
• Those women utilizing the guidance of mentors were more likely to receive a promotion than those who did not (69 percent vs. 49 percent).
• Respondents reported a decline in senior leadership opportunities for their respective racial or ethnic groups.
• Women of color who left their employers in 1998 were most likely to cite a desire for more advancement opportunities and higher salary as the primary reasons for leaving.

The study concludes that employers need to create a more open and inclusive working environment if they are going to retain women of color as managers. The data was derived from a sample of 268 women who had participated in Catalyst’s first study.

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