Catalyst tracks career progress for women of color managers over three years.

Special Issue 2002

Key Findings

From Women of Color in Corporate Management: Three Years later

* The number of women of color with mentors has increased substantially-from 35% in 1998 to 58% in 2001.

* Since 1998, 57% of women of color respondents have been promoted at least once. On average, the respondents' incomes have risen almost 40 percent during this time.

* Multiple mentors are key: the greater the number of mentors that respondents currently have, the greater the number of promotions they have received.

* In 2001,49% of respondents cite networking as an important success factor, compared to only 29% in 1998.

* In 2001, women are more likely to report that opportunities for women of their own racial/ethnic groups to advance to senior leadership positions in their companies have declined (32%) compared to 1998 (15%).

The Buzz

Catalyst released its latest study, Women of Color in Corporate Management: Three Years Later, at a press breakfast held at Goldman Sachs in New York City on July 16, 2002. Catalyst President Sheila Wellington revealed the study findings to a packed auditorium, explaining that many women of color are now taking charge of their careers and favoring companies that are supportive of their aspirations. Katherine Giscombe, Ph.D., a Senior Director of Research at Catalyst and the director of the study, moderated a distinguished panel of women of color business leaders who shed light on the findings with their personal stories.

More than three years ago, Catalyst conducted a multiphase study of women or color managers and professionals with the goal of providing hard facts and quantitative data on the experiences and attitudes of women of color in the workplace. This original study of more than 1,700 survey respondents launched a national discourse on this largely unexamined issue. Now, three years later, Catalyst has gained additional insight into career issues for women of color in this new study conducted with a sample of the same women from the original survey and, in doing so, has raised that dialogue to a new level.

"In terms of progress over the last three years, this is a good news study," said Ms. Wellington. "The women of color in our study have experienced positive career growth, including promotions and higher salaries. They have developed relationships with mentors in greater numbers and increasingly understand the importance of developing networks." She went on to report that despite the good news, all is not rosy. The respondents perceive that opportunities for women of their racial/ethnic backgrounds to advance to senior leadership positions within their organizations have declined over the past three years.

The Findings

The women of color surveyed employ several key strategies to succeed--with a greater emphasis now than in 1998 on the importance of networking and mentoring. Panelist Quinn Tran, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing and Sales Officer of Knowledge Tek Software, emphasized the value of creating networks: "The ability to connect is so important. Connect with those below you, around you, and above you because that's how you're remembered for the next assignment ... and those connections go with you, even when you leave the company."

Mentoring was also a salient issue for the women of color surveyed. The findings show that the presence of mentors is related to the number of upward moves (see front box.) "It is very important to have multiple mentors," said Pamela Thomas-Graham, President and CEO, CNBC. "I think the term `board of directors' is exactly the right way to describe it. You should have a mix of men and women, a mix of people inside and outside your company."

The women of color in this study are less hopeful about their career prospects than they were in 1998. They report a decline in opportunities for members of their own racial/ethnic groups to reach senior leadership levels. Gloria Santona, SV General Counsel, and Secretary of McDonald's Corporation, noted the importance of advancement options: "I don't think I could have stayed anywhere for 25 years had I not felt that there were opportunities to advance--that each year was more of a challenge than the year before. I had a relentless focus on moving ahead."

Finally, Catalyst found that companies must create open, more inclusive work environments to retain women of color managers. The more supportive women of color perceive their management to be, the more likely they are to perceive that the work environment is open and inclusive. Barbara Ellis, Vice President of WW Technical Support Project at IBM described one positive relationship with a manager and mentor: "It was terrific to have that kind of openness, to demonstrate capabilities and competence, and to be recognized because you did a good job."

The report includes a comprehensive set of recommendations for creating open environments needed to retain and advance women of color. One key component includes developing effective people management systems, by:

* Improving assessment of performance

* Reviewing managers' performance evaluations by race/ethnicity and gender of subordinate.

* Holding managers accountable for the retention and advancement of women of color.

* Providing adequate training for managers of women of color.

* Ensuring access to mentors

* Ensuring representation of women of color on slates for promotions and high-visibility assignments

* Identifying opportunities for high-visibility assignments for women of color.

To order your copy of Women of Color in Corporate Management: Three Years later call us at [phone] or visit us at www.catalystwomen.org. Catalyst members receive one-third off all pub prices.