While ending race-based hair discrimination nationwide has been an ongoing mission for Dove, the global beauty company has recently set its sights on addressing race-based hair bias in the workplace through a new partnership with LinkedIn.
As part of Dove’s continuing commitment to help pass The CROWN Act, the two organizations have co-commissioned a wide-reaching study to analyze the social and economic impact of hair bias and discrimination on Black women in the workplace. The NEW CROWN 2023 Workplace Research Study found that Black women’s hair is 2.5x more likely to be perceived as unprofessional, which can impact how they navigate the hiring process. As a result of this, approximately ⅔ of Black women (66%) change their hair for a job interview. And, among them, 41% have straightened their hair from their natural texture.
“For far too long, Black women and men have been subject to unfair treatment, outright discrimination, and a myriad of inequities for simply wearing our natural hair texture and hairstyles that are inherent to our cultural identity. This includes being denied employment, being sent home from work, being overlooked from promotions, and a range of microaggressions. This may be hard to believe, but it is real, clearly unwarranted, and unacceptable,” says Esi Eggleston Bracey, President & CEO of Unilever Personal Care in North America. “The goal of the partnership between Dove and LinkedIn is to help put an end to race-based discrimination in the workplace. We intend to shine a light on this issue and call upon employers, hiring managers, and professionals to adopt equitable and inclusive practices that create a respectful and open world for natural hair.”
In support of the CROWN Act and in an effort to make a more equitable workplace, Dove and LinkedIn have launched a powerful visual campaign called #BlackHairIsProfessional. As part of the campaign, photos of Black women with protective and straightened hair are shared across their social channel to open up important conversations about unconscious and internal bias against Black people in the workplace. Additionally, the organizations have provided free access to 10 LinkedIn Learning Courses focused on topics ranging from inclusive leadership to diversity recruiting. By doing so, they hope to achieve their goal of educating 1 million hiring managers and workplace professionals by the end of 2023.
“While talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not. Cultural identifiers, like hair, are not determining factors for someone’s skills or experience, and no one should be denied employment opportunities or professional advancement because of their hair,” says Rosanna Durruthy, Global Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at LinkedIn. “As Dove works to change legislation, LinkedIn is working to change workplace behavior by training and educating one million hiring managers and human resources professionals on inclusive and equitable business practices. The mission of ending race-based discrimination is critically important to our own desire to make work, work better for everyone.”
If you’re interested in getting involved with the #BlackHairIsProfessional campaign, you can support by taking the LinkedIn courses, joining the conversation on LinkedIn using the hashtag #BlackHairIsProfessional, or signing The CROWN Act petition here.
