We’ve all heard it before: “You’ll have to work twice as hard as anyone else to get to the same place.”
According to The Atlantic, a new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research shows that there is data to back up that old adage.
The data demonstrates that Black workers receive extra scrutiny from bosses, leading to poorer performance reviews, lower wages and even job loss in some cases. The data also showed that a pool of unemployed Black workers are likely to be seen as less skilled, less likely to be hired and more heavily monitored once they do get hired. Being closely scrutinized leads to an increased chance of finding errors and being let go, which simply means that Black people are far less likely to get a second chance.
The researchers found that only in instances where Black workers displayed a significantly higher skill level than their white counterparts would they stand a significant chance of keeping their jobs for a while, and even then discrimination could persist, which could lead to lower wages or slower promotions.
Do you feel like you have to work significantly harder than your white counterparts? Share your story below.
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