Study reveals 'harrowing' experiences of women of colour working in rural Munster

The study entitled 'The Black Ceiling' by Munster Technological University noted that women of colour were aware they were working low-paying jobs 'that Irish people did not want'

Professor Margaret Linehan (left), Head of the School of Humanities at MTU and Dr Wendy Oke, CEO of TeachKloud (right) from Cork at the launch of a landmark study on the experiences of women of colour working in rural communities in southwest Ireland. Photo: Domnick Walsh 

A new study—the first of its kind—has highlighted the “harrowing” experiences of women of colour working in rural areas across Munster.

The study, entitled 'The Black Ceiling' was carried out by staff at Munster Technological University (MTU) and the National College of Ireland (NCI) and involved interviews with 18 women of colour working or seeking employment.

It found that despite being highly qualified in a wide range of areas having received primary and postgraduate qualifications, all women faced significant difficulty in securing employment.

Just two of the participants worked in their chosen profession or area of study while all participants were overqualified for the role they held at the time. The study found that promotional opportunities are more likely to go to white men and women even where women of colour have higher qualifications and more experience.

The women expressed having no choice but to work in positions in which they cannot use their skills and expertise in an effort to get by and create better opportunities for their children while some worked two jobs “to make ends meet”.

The study noted that the women were aware they were working low-paying jobs “that Irish people did not want”.

A strong recurring theme noted by all participants was the difficulty in getting a job or “getting their foot in the door” with the study noting that the women face a “double bind” as gender and race both negatively impact their employment experiences.

They reported that having an Irish person on their CV to act as a referee for them made it easier to get employment.

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Due to the lack of women of colour in organisations in rural Ireland, the participants expressed the difficulty in being a “token black woman” which led to isolation by colleagues as well as a loss of privacy. They also reported being excluded from work social events.

Facing higher expectations than Irish colleagues, the participants reported having to outwork or outperform them in an effort to avoid further racial bias. 

The study also found the women experienced racialised verbal and sexual harassment, which contributed to a hostile culture in their organisations. Harassment was reported to be an almost daily occurrence for the women which took the form of racialised physical, verbal or sexual harassment.

One participant said: 

The boss calls me names like ‘monkey’, and he would also insult me and humiliate me in front of customers. If I do something wrong, he will humiliate me.

They also reported being frequently subjected to microaggressions which the study described as flippant or indirect statements making them difficult to challenge. Participants also noted belittling microaggressions throughout the recruitment and selection phase which they believed was due to their race.

One described it as “being looked down on and humiliated”, prompting suggestions from participants that a person of colour on interview panels would combat biases.

The report has a number of recommendations for both employers and policymakers, including mandatory gender and racial awareness training for managers as well as ensuring interview panels include both men and women as well as people of colour.

Munster Technological University head of humanities and co-author of the study Professor Margaret Linehan said the experiences reported by the women are “harrowing”.

She said the study, which was funded by the Irish Human Rights Equality Commission, and commissioned by the Phoenix Women’s Centre and Shed, is the first of its kind in Ireland.

“Nobody has done research on women of colour in rural Ireland. This is the first time these women have been asked for their opinion and what shocked me the most really is that the barriers are so overt, we thought they would be more covert but they’re really out there, and really obvious discrimination,” she said.