Marginalized groups bear the brunt of microaggressions

Women experience microaggressions at significantly higher rates than men, research shows. And women with typically marginalized identities, such as women of color and women with disabilities, endure more frequent slights, according to senior partners Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee in the latest Women in the Workplace report. For instance, Asian and Black women are seven times as likely as White women to be confused with someone of the same race and ethnicity.

While most employees report microaggressions, marginalized groups are disproportionally affected.

Image description:

A table made up of squares shows, by volume, the likelihood of women to experience microaggressions at work compared with men. Women with disabilities are ~2.5 times more likely to say others get credit for their ideas and their judgement has been questioned and 3 times more likely to say they have been mistaken for someone more junior. Women of color are 5.5 times more likely to say they have been mistaken for someone else of the same race or nationality. LGBTQ+ women are 6.5 times more likely to say others question their appearance, followed by women with disabilities at 6 times more likely. And women with disabilities are ~4 times more likely to say others comment on their emotional state, followed by LGBTQ+ women at 3.5 times.

Source: Women in the Workplace 2023, McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org

End of image description.

To read the report, see “Women in the Workplace 2023,” October 5, 2023.