Sisters’ are doin’ it for themselves, you remember that catchy little tune sung by Aretha Franklin and the Eurythmics?  In the song, Aretha stated, “We got doctors, lawyers, politicians too”, but if we did the remake for 2014, the song would have to add to the lyrics and businesswomen too!  Gone are the days where women stay at home to take care of the children, or opt to work outside of the home in an appropriate gender-fitting role such as a school teacher, nurse, or secretary. We are entering back into the era of women running things, and in a major way!

The Network Journal published their 16^th annual article of the 25 most Influential Black Women in Business,   honoring women whose professional achievements have significantly impacted an industry or profession, as well as their community (The Network Journal). The honorees are typically business owners, or partners, presidents, CEO’s, board chairs, or other senior-management executives with significant decision-making authority in the corporate, nonprofit, or government sector (The Network Journal).

So why the need of special recognition for black businesswomen? Undoubtedly, these women have earned this honor due to their hard-work and business savvy, but their climb to the top is not one to be taken lightly, especially in the male-dominated world of business where glass-ceilings aren’t easily shattered.

Women of all races are more than often not taken seriously in the workplace which is apparent in the blatant inequality of pay found in recent analysis among women and men in the same profession and occupation. Even though the Equal Pay Act was passed June 10, 1963, the national average pay gap between men and women is at 23 percent, or roughly 77 cents to every dollar (May).  Recently President Obama declared April 9^th “Equal Pay Day,” stating that “Wage inequality undermines the promise of fairness and opportunity upon which our country was founded.”

Black women in the workplace not only have to overcome pay inequalities but also battle the inequity of being an African-American, with race and gender counting as two strikes against them. The unemployment rate of blacks overall was more than twice the rate of whites last March and has held steady for the past year with white unemployment numbers at  5.8 percent and black unemployment at 12.4 percent.

Unemployment comparisons between white women and black women are pretty much the same as the overall unemployment figures, with white women’s unemployment rates at 5.3 percent which is down from 5.9 percent the previous year, and black women’s unemployment numbers are now at 11. 0 percent, dropping a mere smidgeon, from 11.1 percent in 2013 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | Division of Labor Force Statistics).

The disparity in unemployment numbers is quite puzzling especially since data collection by the National Center of Education Statistics reported by the US Census showed that for the first time in history Black women’s college enrollment numbers have surpassed every other group in this country based upon race and gender, therefore making black women the most educated group in the United States (Shine.forharriet.com).

African-American women at the helm of major corporations and businesses are nothing new.  A look back into ancient history depicts entire empires that were led by black women, such as Hatshepsut, fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, making her the longest woman ruler in Egyptian history.  Hatshepsut commissioned building projects, reestablished trade networks, and also led successful military campaigns during her reign (Listverse).

Or you may even recall Madame CJ Walker, the first African-American businesswoman who overcame many race-related obstacles to form her own hair care company selling perms to women of color in an effort to help straighten their hair.  Madame Walker’s hair care business made her a very rich woman, and even today the African-American hair care industry continues to be a booming billion dollar industry.

Today, it’s good to see that some companies such as Accenture, Morgan Stanley, and The RLJ Companies have long recognized the significance of a diverse workforce through promoting the advancement of black women in the boardroom.  We can only hope that other companies begin to encourage the advancement of both gender and racial diversity as well as the equal pay of women in the workplace. Three primary findings (Gunelius) from a recent study by the PA Consulting Group show that:

• A high-performance culture is more likely to exist in a company when there is gender diversity at the most senior level.
• Organizations with the strongest cultural and financial performance also have the highest proportion of women on their executive boards.
• High-performance cultures could be the key to creating conditions for women to be more willing and able to rise to the top in companies.

Women around the globe hold only 24% of senior level positions therefore we can assume that 76% of the world’s companies are not performing as well as they could be if they had more women at executive levels.  Though it may be true for now that this is a man’s world, in the words of James Brown, it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing, NOTHING, without a woman or a girl!

Check out the video of  TNJ 25 Influential Black Women in Business – Linda L Singh or too see a complete list of the Network Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business, visit www.tnj.com/25-Influential-black-women/2014 .

Works Cited

Gunelius, Susan. “How A Lack of Gender Diversity in Leadership Is Hurting Companies.” 3 September 2013. Women on Business. 10 April 2014. <http://www.womenonbusiness.com/lack-gender-diversity-in-leadership-hurting-companies/>.

Listverse. Top-10-most-powerful-women-in-history. 2 October 2008. 26 March 2014. <listverse.com/2008/10/02/top-10-most-powerful-women-in-history/>.

May, Caroline. “Analysis: Men still make a lot more than women in Obama’s White House.” 16 January 2014. The Daily Caller. 10 April 2014. <http://dailycaller.com/2014/01/16/analysis-men-still-make-a-lot-more-than-women-in-obamas-white-house/>.

Shine.forharriet.com. “Black Women are the Most Educated Group in the United States.” 1 March 2014. Shine.forharriet.com. 10 April 2014. <http://shine.forharriet.com/2014/03/black-women-are-most-educated-group-in.html>.

The Network Journal. “TNJ’s 25 Influential black women.” 21 March 1995-2014. The Network Journal-Black Professionals and Small Business News. 26 March 2014. <http://www.tnj.com/25-Influential-black-women/overview>.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | Division of Labor Force Statistics. “Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, and age.” 4 April 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . 10 April 2014. <http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t02.htm>.