Black women have faced systemic racial and gender discrimination in the labor force, and although historically they have had high labor force participation rates, they tend to be overrepresented in care and service jobs. As such, an intersectional lens is key to understanding Black women’s experience in the social work profession, as they contend with racism, sexism, and microaggressions, face barriers to licensure, and often experience burnout brought on by workplace stress due to high caseloads, insufficient support, and vicarious trauma.

Despite having to attain high levels of education as a professional requirement, Black women social workers are paid significantly less compared to other highly educated professionals.

Read more in our latest policy brief.