The Persistence Of Pet To Threat

Despite having published our chapter, “Women of color at midcareer: Going from pet to threat,” over ten years ago, interest in the Pet to Threat concept has not waned. Indeed, interest in this phenomenon that we identified continues to steadily increase. Popular podcasts such as Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead and Dr. Joy Harden Bradford’s Therapy for Black Girls, have shared thoughtful analyses of our work. Perhaps the persisting interest in our work is a reflection of the countless number of incredibly accomplished and credentialed Black women who have been initially tapped for high-status, and nationally visible roles yet denied access to the power and authority those roles require as well as the rewards typically offered to others. In some cases, the appointments never fully materialized.

Take for example the visible cases of two eminently qualified journalists and scholars, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Kathleen McElroy whose high-profile positions were downgraded over time from tenured endowed chairs to short-term contracts. The failed yet relentless critique of our newest Supreme Court justice, Kenjanji Brown Jackson, was further evidence of the suspicion under which Black women must always work. President Claudine Gay’s resignation further highlights this invisible condition of employment. Recently, I spoke with two of my co-authors, Dr. Juanita Johnson-Bailey and Dr. Rosemary Phelps, to reflect on the last decade of Pet to Threat.

That 2013 chapter was based on a pilot research project in which we asked a snowball sample of diverse academic women, across career stages, to share their workplace experiences. Those working in disciplines, roles, or organizations in which they were severely underrepresented seem to be most at risk for having early career experiences in which they were treated like ‘Pets.’ That is, celebrated while being exploited for what one of our research participants called their ‘diversity social capital,’ while also being underutilized for the knowledge, skill, ability, and experience they could provide. These professionals are often forced to consider looking for new employment or changing career paths altogether. Increasingly, many others are choosing an entrepreneurial route.

More senior women who persisted in workplaces in which they likewise were severely underrepresented, shared experiences in which peers seemed to treat them as though they were a ‘Threat.’ The threat these credentialed and experienced professionals seemed to pose was a threat to the status quo. It is well documented that senior women of color, and Black women in particular, do not reap the same rewards (like pay) and recognition as their peers and that their leadership is chronically undermined. At the same time, service responsibilities (e.g. office housework) are piled on in ways that derail their career mobility and undermine their health. These leaders often experienced workplace alienation and isolation and sometimes an erosion of support systems available at earlier (Pet) stages of their careers.

As Dr. Phelps shared, “Pet to Threat resonates for so many because of its insidiousness and that it operates in work environments that historically have been exclusionary. Managing the Pet to Threat phenomenon requires significant energy and time for women who are attempting to excel at their jobs while combating the limiting beliefs and stereotypes imposed upon them.” The untimely and tragic deaths of Black women academic leaders, including the devastating suicide of Dr. Antoinette (Bonnie) Candia-Bailey, are reminders of the often precarious positions in which many pioneering women of color find themselves.

Women across industry and career stages frequently reach out to us to say how closely our work mirrors their own experience. Dr. Johnson-Bailey agreed and added, “During this last decade, it’s been fascinating to have women from across the academic spectrum and the corporate world talk about this common environment they unknowingly shared, a workplace that changes and morphs in a gendered response to their job successes and promotions. To these women it seemed that they were existing in Opposite Land —- as they gained power and had more responsibility, their paths and futures became more uncertain and less secure. All of a sudden, accomplished working women found themselves being viewed through a different lens that was severely critical and biased.”

Recent research from the Harvard Kennedy School seems to reinforce our findings for Black women in particular. Their analysis of performance and retention data demonstrated that when Black women initially work in white teams, their risk for attrition is higher than when any other demographic group works within that same context. Furthermore, within these whiter teams, Black women have higher participation in training and lower performance evaluations, yet these patterns do not appear for Black women working in more multicultural groups.

Perhaps in diverse groups, the diversity itself undermines the impact of deeply embedded stereotypes to derail fair and equitable treatment of Black women. More diverse work groups likely create more equal opportunities for mentoring, coaching, and career support in ways that are absent when Black women are merely supertokens, which Dr. Elizabeth ‘Dori’ Tunstall defines as, “When talented people from marginalized identities are used to bring surface diversity to an organization, but not necessarily inclusion—and not decolonization.”

What should leaders do to make sure that their institution does not create supertokens that are treated like they are Pets and/or Threats? It seems the answer is as difficult to nail down as it is to answer the age-old dilemma, which comes first, the chicken or the egg? In this case, leaders must focus on both recruitment and culture.

The recruitment of a diverse organization is critical in that it derails the probability of any particular type of worker becoming a token. However, numbers alone are not enough and will do little to retain diverse talent if the culture is hostile. It is up to leadership to create a strong culture that treasures diversity and commits and acts to systematically incorporate values around equity, inclusion, and belonging at every level of the organization and in every decision.