More black women in college, successful entrepreneurs

African American women are moving ahead in their lives and professional careers rapidly...

Jun 20, 2011

From the Stanford Graduate School of Business

In the United States today, two-thirds of African American college undergrads are women, and they are going on to excel in business, particularly in entrepreneurship, says visiting scholar Katherine Phillips.

Some people believe that African American women are doubly oppressed in the workplace, challenged by sexism because they’re female and by racism because they’re black.

However, that bleak assessment does not tell the complete story, says Katherine Phillips, PhD ‘99, visiting scholar in organizational behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and an expert in workplace diversity.

In fact, black women are excelling in education and entrepreneurship, she said. Two-thirds of African American college undergrads are female. And, between 2002 and 2008, the number of businesses owned by black women rose by 19% — twice as fast as all other firms and generating $29 billion in sales nationwide.

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