Black Girl Burnout –– Strike Magazine Issue 07

Becoming the epitome of perfection is a struggle forced upon so many women everywhere. Outperforming until it becomes as natural as breathing. Living paradigms of effortless effort, to the point no one can remember the last time they weren't put together. Everything is curated and custom-made: overpriced lace fronts, braids that took too long, and eyebrows and lashes done by the nail tech that does everything. From head to toe, dripped out in degrees, diplomas, and certificates –nothing can or will fall out of line. All of this physical and academic work just to combat the silent demand a majority of Black women face in the workplace to be as perfect as they can inhumanly be. 

At times, it seems as though all this work is a fruitless effort. The unending pursuit of having the perfect resume paired with the perfect cover letter, only to be outperformed by those with half or less the work. BAs and MBAs becoming a growing collection on shelves collecting dust. In recent years in the US, Black women have slowly become the most educated group of women in America. According to a study done by the National Center For Education Statistics on Black Women’s higher education, 68% had associates degrees, 66% had bachelor's degrees, 71% had masters degrees, and 65% had doctorate degrees. Black women are not only highly educated but also highly employed as they also account for 71% of the workforce. These women have achieved so much and yet for so many of them it’s too much –and for a good reason.  

Every job becomes a battle to get a pay raise– even if they’ve been given responsibilities that aren't even a part of the job. The well-deserved recognition for Black women isn't always given, and when it is, it’s to be expected that these flowers will be awarded once they’re gone– or once they’ve done the impossible and superseded everyone's expectations and prejudices. And the seat at the table they were promised ends up being the table no one else but them is sitting at. The pressure of perfection without the proper payoff is a relentless fight to be un-willingly signed up for.

But what other options have they been given? Socially speaking, Black women are at the crux of two social issues: sexism and racism. Both of these problems pervade every part of their lives, and unfortunately it's magnified in the workplace. Research and studies put together by the Harvard Business Review discussed the discrimination and stereotypes Black women have to combat on a day to day basis. Once they got the job, two-thirds of the Black women surveyed felt as though they had to “prove” their worth to coworkers. When questioning authority, making suggestions, or setting boundaries, they are more likely to be perceived as aggressive compared to their white counterparts. Even when expressing this attitude, this behavior is attributed more so to her personality rather than the situation.  

This behavior in the workplace has been so commonplace and normalized that it trickles down to payroll. In the workforce, the pay gap between women and men hasn't narrowed much in the past two decades. According to the Pew Research center, it's only gone from women making 80% of what a man makes to 82%. However when looking closer at these statistics, it's not an accurate representation since it only highlights the pay gap between white men and women. When looking at the pay gap for Black women, they only make 63 cents for every dollar a  white man makes –and that pay is dependent on her education level. If she only has a bachelor's degree, she will make 65% of what a white man makes, but those with masters degrees make 70%. Knowing this, it would be assumed that these women aren’t alone in this work pay struggle but even black men don’t face this issue. When you compare the pay gap both of these groups of people face, black men make 87 cents to a dollar –which is 24 cents more than black women. Even in this struggle, black women can’t seem to find solace in this struggle with either parts of their identities counterparts. 

All of this is disheartening to know and understand that this is normal. To be burdened with the responsibility of being the spokesperson of your race in the office while also dealing with all the discrimination that comes with it is unfair. Being forced to work around the sexism, racism, workplace discrimination, and unwarranted prejudices can take a toll, especially on one's mental health. With all these demands, Black women are more likely to experience accelerated biological aging due to the stress. In a study conducted by the National Library of Medicine, it says that by the time Black women are between ages 49 to 55, they are biologically older than white women by 7.5 years. 

Even though we see the glitz and glamor of these well awarded women on the covers of TIME, Vogue, and Forbes they shouldn’t have had to experience such things to be celebrated. These women should not have to deal with any of these things to begin with. Combatting these systemic and social issues on a day-to-day basis with little to no support or empathy is a mental toll no one should have to deal with. The trial by fire of living as a black woman shouldn’t be applauded once she’s covered in burns.