Dove & LinkedIn Team Up To Address Natural Hair Discrimination In The Workplace With New Study, Training Initiative

Dove, the spearhead of The CROWN Act, has just pulled up with a new study on race-based hair discrimination in the workplace. The beauty brand has been working with major organizations and thought leaders for the past five years to change not just conversations around natural hair, but also the laws and studies around this systemic issue.

[SEE ALSO: Minnesota Senate Passes Bill Banning Race-Based Discrimination]

In its latest move, Dove has teamed up with LinkedIn to bring next-level awareness of the ongoing need for hair justice on the social media platform that has been deemed “the world’s largest professional network.”  

Their new co-commissioned CROWN 2023 Workplace Research Study quantifies many of the issues most Black women have long known. Black women’s hair in its natural, God-given texture is still not considered good enough for the workplace.

Previous research by Dove has shown that Black girls face hair discrimination as early as five years old – and it carries into the workplace.

To even still be discussing hair discrimination in 2023 seems unreal, but Black women (and men) have long been targeted and forced to change their hairstyles to be considered “professional enough” to obtain employment.  

Anecdotally, we have fried it straight, hidden it under “going to work” (and “going to court”) wigs, and lost edges in our quests to keep our kinky, curly, coils from making us lose jobs and workplace opportunities. 

And this new research is putting numbers on it. According to the study:

• Black women’s hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional
• Approximately 66% of Black women change their hair for a job interview and are 54% more likely to feel that they have to in order to be successful. 

The study also shows that it’s not just an older-generation concern — Millennials and Gen Z are the ones feeling it the most. The study reports that 44% of Black women under 34 years old feel pressured to have a headshot (think profile photo) with straight hair and one-third believe they didn’t even get an interview because of their hair. 

And, if they do get the job, 20% of Black women, ages 25-34, report being sent home from work because of their hair. 

“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 for promotions, and a range of micro-aggressions,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, President & CEO of Unilever Personal Care in North America, in a recent statement. “This may be hard to believe, but it is real, clearly unwarranted, and unacceptable.”

In addition to the study, Dove and LinkedIn are challenging employers to step and educate and equip themselves with “equitable and inclusive practices,” said Bracey. Through the partnership, they have created 10 LinkedIn Learning courses to educate employers, hiring managers, and professionals, as well as launched a #BlackHairIsProfessional social media campaign to further drive awareness. 

“No one should be denied employment opportunities or professional advancement because of their hair,” said 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.”

Since co-founding the CROWN Coalition in 2019, 20 states have passed the CROWN (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) Act legislation making race-based hair discrimination illegal. The group has also grown from its founding members National Urban League, Color of Change, and Western Center on Law and Poverty to an alliance of more than 100 organizations. 

Learn more at thecrownact.com.