From AI tools that can help you craft a stellar resume in seconds to AI agents that can match your skills and experience to the right jobs, career mobility should feel more accessible than ever.
But the reality is that for many Americans, particularly Black women, the sense of being stuck in their careers pervades.
Enter ‘career gridlock’, a term that refers to a situation where employees feel as though they are unable to move from their current professional positioning or are being sidelined for promotion.
But why does this happen, and why are Black women disproportionately affected?
The illusion of opportunity
Fears of recession or being replaced by AI aside, Black women face disproportionately high barriers in the workplace.
That’s according to a report from Lean In and McKinsey & Company, which found that Black women face more racism and sexism in the workplace and are often penalised if they speak out.
The research also uncovered that 32% of Black women who have spoken out against bias and discrimination in the workplace have faced recrimination rather than vindication.
As part of its research, participants were asked to share their experiences in their own words.
“Especially for Black women, you feel like you have to blend in. You can’t say certain things or show any type of feeling toward certain things,” wrote one senior manager.
“I thought workplace culture had improved for women of color, but it hasn’t. People are just being more closeted about it. In the early 2000s, I was put in positions where I had to hear uncomfortable jokes or get passed over for roles. Fifteen years later, I know how to navigate that a bit better, but it is still out there,” shared another manager.
Stuck between ambition and access
Black women are among the most ambitious demographics in the American workforce, but that ambition doesn’t always translate into corporate success.
Too few women, particularly women of color, are advancing into management positions, and at the current rate of progress, it will take 44 years to reach parity in corporate America.
Add to that the current state of play surrounding DEI, or lack thereof, and you can start to understand why Black women are feeling disillusioned and disempowered.
Financial security vs. professional growth
Another layer to career gridlock is the trade-off between financial stability and growth. Many workers, especially those supporting families, are reluctant to take career risks.
The fear of losing health benefits, remote-working privileges, or entering a new workplace that may not align with their values means that even when opportunities arise, they’re not always pursued.
As a result, job security becomes a necessity that comes at the cost of personal and professional fulfillment.
The mental health toll
We’ve all had bad days, bad weeks, or even bad quarters. But if you’re constantly being passed over for promotion, feeling unseen and undervalued, or working so much that you’re on the cusp of burnout, career gridlock is inevitable.
Additionally, if you’ve lost your sense of purpose or your passion for your role, it’s common for quiet quitting – doing the bare minimum but not much else – to set in.
What can be done?
Breaking free from career gridlock requires action on both a personal and professional level. You might want to start by reassessing what success looks like for you.
Is it working in a role that facilitates more work-life balance so you can pursue your passions outside of working hours? Is it a role that offers flexibility that facilitates caregiving and family responsibilities? Or perhaps getting to the C-suite is your ultimate goal?
Success can mean very different things to different people, but the first step towards getting out of career gridlock involves setting a realistic goal that you can work towards.
Next, you’ll need to put a professional strategy in place to help you achieve this.
If more work-life balance is your goal, perhaps you could talk to your manager about setting more clearly-defined boundaries around working hours.
Conversely, if you need more flexibility, perhaps less rigidity about clocking on during certain hours, and working towards task-based goals instead, can help facilitate this.
Mentorship is also a great way to tap into your professional network and gain some insight into how you can advance in your career in a meaningful way. And if your current organisation doesn’t offer mentorship opportunities, seek out professional groups instead.
Ultimately, career gridlock is more than a feeling. It’s a systemic issue that needs to be addressed head-on.
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By Aoibhinn Mc Bride
