Professionalism is Racist
Graphic by April James / Image via Unsplash
That’s right, you heard me. Like many other facets of society, our perceptions of what it means to be “professional” are rooted in white supremacy. Every person of color has a unique experience when it comes to facing racist structures in their workplace. Some are ridiculed for their hair, others are chastised for how they speak, and many are not given the same opportunities as their white counterparts. From the way we act to the way we dress in professional environments, these customs are centered around whiteness and how to best replicate whiteness as a person of color.
Hair
It is no secret that Black people face discrimination and harrassment when their hair is styled in natural or protective ways. As Kaitlyn McNab wrote for Allure, “Black people are still disproportionately affected by aesthetic norms and expectations.” The perception that natural or protective styles of hair are not “professional” costs Black people — Black women in particular — time, money, and opportunities.
To drive home the point that these perceptions are racially motivated, as opposed to emphasizing neatness, white Tik Tok creator @awalmartparkinglot posted a video showing a (very messy) hairstyle she has worn in multiple professional environments and for which she has never been scolded
When this video came across my “For You Page,” it helped me visualize what I have been thinking for a long time: professionalism is racist. Not just because of what is considered “professional” standards, but because professional standards are only used to police people of color.
Clothing
Clothing is another aspect of “professional” appearance that leaves room for discrimination in the workplace. What is considered to be “business professional” is closely linked to the norms of Western styles of dress. This definition leaves little room, if any, for other cultures’ traditional dress. An Indian vice president of a multinational pharmaceutical firm told a study that she feels as if she has to hide her identity while she’s at work and would “never dream of wearing a sari to work.”
Further, Western business professional clothes are expensive which means people have to shell out money to conform to ideas of professionalism. Even Rep. Cori Bush went thrift shopping in preparation for her work on Capitol Hill.
From my experience, though, it is incredibly difficult to find business professional clothing in second-hand stores or other budget retailers, especially in plus sizes. Median BIPOC households make a fraction of what their white counterparts do, which means that people of color often have less discretionary money to buy business professional clothing in order to get the jobs that could decrease the wealth gap.
Even more explicitly, employers across the world, including Canada and the European Union (EU), have started banning religious head coverings including hijabs, burkas, and Sikh turbans.
In Canada, the Quebec Superior Court ruled that “the province may bar government workers in ‘positions of authority,’ such as police officers and judges, from wearing religious symbols such as Muslim hijabs and Sikh turbans on the job.” In the EU, there have been a slew of laws restricting hijabs and burkas, including an EU court ruling allowing employers to ban hijabs in their workplaces.These restrictions are blatant discrimination that prevent religious people of color from working in certain fields or offices. Or, the restrictions force religious people of color to compromise their identity in order to secure employment.
Language
Language also plays a role in what society deems professional. Professionalism privileges native-born English speakers who do not have accents and who speak in Standard (White) English. Employees who speak in another dialect of English such as African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), also referred to as Black English (BE), or Chicano English may not be perceived as professional.
Similarly, there is stigma around employees who speak a language that is not English at work. In fact, non-Native English speakers have a glass ceiling of their own. A study by Wharton professor Laura Huang found bias in vendors who work with non-Native English speaking entrepreneurs and human resources workers hiring for high-level management positions.
This language-based discrimination, also known as linguism, privileges people who sound white. This causes people of color to try to disguise their accent whenever possible, often referred to as code-switching. A pressure to code-switch often pushes out the diverse personalities or perspectives that people of color could bring to the workplace, which further perpetuates white supremacy.
Hiring
You may be familiar with the study in 2003 that asked the question “Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?”. This study found people with “white sounding” names had to send out 10 resumes before getting a response, while people with “Black sounding” names had to send out 15 resumes before getting a response.
It is not just names that prevent people of color from getting responses in the hiring process. Many hiring managers strongly consider “cultural fit” as much as qualifications in the interview process. They want someone who can do the job, but also someone they could see themselves “going to lunch with.” This creates disadvantages for people of color who may not fit the culture of a company, especially if that culture is rooted in white supremacy.
Work Style and Timeliness
Even after Black employees secure the job, it could be easier for them to lose it. Research shows that Black employees are more closely scrutinized by their bosses, which can lead to worse performance reviews, lower wages and even job loss. Under this close scrutiny, Black employees are more likely to be fired than white employees for the same errors. Because of this, people of color have more gaps in employment as they are unemployed more often and longer. They can then become less appealing to hiring managers because of these gaps in unemployment, which contributes to racial economic inequality.
There is also an issue of timeliness that disadvantages employees from non-Western backgrounds. Western culture operates in a monochronic fashion, meaning they believe there is a time and place for everything, and they don’t appreciate interruptions. Whereas polychronic cultures tend to multitask more and operate with more flexibility when it comes to meetings and appointments. This cultural misunderstanding can create obstacles for workers with a polychronic background. Even more, as people of color often are, these employees become a representation of their whole community, which can lead to negative stereotypes and assumptions. This means that employers could hold negative views on an employee based on their cultural background, believing that they will always be late or turn in work late.
Conclusion
Sure, no one likes putting on a suit and using their customer service voice, but the racism in professionalism is about more than that. It is yet another facet of society created for white people by white people.
All of this leads to fewer people of color in decision-making positions, continuing a racist cycle of hiring, firing, and day-to-day management, and perpetuating the racial wealth gap. In order to close this wealth gap, standards of professionalism need to change to encompass the diversity of our societies.
Fortunately, the events of the last year have given us much more flexibility in the workplace. For example, we have all learned that sweatpants can be as productive as slacks, Black newscasters are redefining professionalism by wearing their hair as is, and Secretary Deb Haaland made headlines when she was sworn in as the first Native American Secretary of the Interior dressed in traditional Indigenous clothes.
We can change the standards of professionalism to be more inclusive. We must recognize the harm these standards create and continue to fight for a more just and equitable world.
Header Photo: Christina @ wocintechchat.com / Unsplash, design: April James
Written by Coralyn Maguigad
