WOMEN OF COLOR ARE THE FUTURE OF THE WORKPLACE DEEPA PURUSHOTHAMAN

by: Luana Ferreira

THE UNITED STATES has been experiencing an increase in women's representation at all levels in corporations. However, a closer look at the numbers reveals that Women of Color (WOC) are still underrepresented in leadership – they are only 4 percent of C-leaders, according to the Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey.

Deepa Purushothaman is no stranger to the feeling of being the only woman of color in the room. In 2008, she became the first Indian female partner at Deloitte, a firm with over a hundred thousand employees. "I always had this interesting way to navigate a corporate structure as a woman of color," she said.

Purushothaman's had a successful career at Deloitte for two decades, but she was aware that as a WOC, she faced specific issues that other women were experiencing as well – and she wanted them to be heard. She recently released the book The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America, where she interviewed 500 WOC in the corporate environment.

The idea for the book came after Purushothaman started having one-to-one meetings with WOC, which soon became dinners with a larger number of women. Most of the people interviewed for the book reported that they just felt free to be themselves and express their individualities after getting to a senior level.

Before making their way to leading positions, WOC often feel pressure to present themselves in a certain way. Some Latinas "would not wear bright colors and hired speaking coaches to learn how to manage their excitement when talking," Purushothaman says. According to the author, many women were editing themselves to be perceived as professionals in corporations.

Purushothaman also highlights that WOC are diverse amongst themselves, as this definition includes Latinas, Black women and Asian women. This diversity makes a difference in the workplace, as the American working population is becoming more and more diverse.

This plurality makes placing WOC in leading positions valuable for companies. "My belief is that in order to manage a more diverse working force, you need leaders that are more diverse, fluent in different languages and understand that people have differences," Purushothaman adds. "I believe that women of color are well-positioned in that situation to lead on those cases.

The author also reveals that many women in leading positions feel alone and she hopes the book makes them understand that many others face the same issues in the workplace. "I think there is freedom and liberation that comes from that," she says.

Purushothaman is still working on creating a place where women can share their experiences in the workplace. Beyond the book, she is the co-founder of nFormation, a company for women of color by women of color.

The author believes that there is no way back and companies are now urging to make those changes, but they often don't know how since changing corporate culture isn't a simple process. For example, they often keep following outdated methods, hiring and promoting people based on static criteria. "If we look at the same criteria over and over, we get the same leaders, but if we can actually value the eclectic experience of women of color, companies would be more profitable."