Do you think you have an equal chance in the workforce?

 Hello everyone!

We have asked several students what they think of their chances in the workforce. More specifically, whether they believed their job opportunities were limited based on the color of their skin. For privacy and anonymity, no names will be specified. 

Noteworthy responses 

#1: There may be limitations if I'm not good at my job but I don't know about my skin color exactly. To be honest, even though I'm a minority, I don't think I've experienced racism. I've experienced stereotypes, but they have all worked out in my favor, which is weird to say. I don't mind people stereotyping me to be good at math or science and I don't think stereotypes would negatively hurt my job opportunities. But I know that isn't the case for all minorities. 

#2: Probably not. I'm white and I haven't really faced discrimination anywhere, at least not on the basis of my skin. I'm aware it happens to other people, but I'm not sure to what degree. I mean, if someone has the same qualifications as me and they were someone of color, I don't think they would be denied of their job just because of that? But I'm not sure really. 

#3: I think there's a lot of stereotypes that come with the color of my skin. I mean, I sometimes hear jokes about being from the hood and whatnot and it's not really funny anymore? I don't think people who make those remarks realize how racist it is. And I can't help but think that everyone thinks these racist stereotypes to some degree. I don't think the playing field for job opportunities are equal, and I doubt they will be. 

So what do I think? I think that discrimination absolutely exists. Even with cases like response 31 where the responder believed the stereotypes attached with their skin color could be positive, I think the benefits severely outweigh the costs in this situation. White people have a significant advantage when looking for job opportunities. A study done by the Harvard Business School shows how when minorities 'whiten' their resumes, they get a lot more interviews for open positions. To read more about it, check out this link: https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/minorities-who-whiten-job-resumes-get-more-interviews 

On that note, what steps do you think we need to take to prevent color discrimination in the workplace? It is definitely something to think about!