Research Summary: Discrimination in the workplace comes in many forms, and even discrete actions or comments can have an extremely detrimental effect on your experience in the workplace. Unfortunately, marginalized groups often deal with discriminatory actions, incidents, and words that could be considered microaggressions.
To find out more about how common microaggressions are in the workplace and their effects, we’ve gathered an extensive list of US-based statistics. According to our extensive research:
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68% of Americans say microaggressions are a serious workplace problem.
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36% of Americans have witnessed microaggressions at work.
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26% of Americans have experienced microaggressions at work.
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64% of women have experienced gender-based microaggressions at work.
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Just under one-fourth (24%) of racial/ethnic minorities have experienced microaggressions at work.
For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Types of Microaggressions | Experience | Opinions
Types of Microaggressions
Microaggressions can come in many forms, and their subtleness can cause many of those who experience them not even to realize they’ve been discriminated against. Here are some essential facts to find out more about the different types of microaggressions and their commonality:
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28% of employees have been spoken over at work.
While this microaggression doesn’t necessarily pertain to race or gender, it can still be incredibly disheartening to feel like your voice isn’t heard in the workplace. This is especially true for minorities in the workplace, who may already feel out of place or “otherized”.
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Only 29% of racial and ethnic minorities report competency microaggressions.
These microaggressions are categorized by co-workers assuming you’ll perform tasks incorrectly or that you need an extra, unwarranted explanation or two. Often, you may feel infantilized when experiencing a competency microaggression.
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Unprofessionalism is the most common type of microaggression, with 30% of employees experiencing it.
Being addressed in an unprofessional way is something almost a third of the US workforce deals with, but there are other common microaggressions as well.
The rest of the top five include: Being told you’re “well spoken” (29%), being talked over (28%), having someone repeating your idea and presenting it as their own (24%), and being asked about your dating life (24%).
Type of microaggression Share of employees who’ve experienced it Addressed in an unprofessional way 30% Told you’re “well-spoken” 29% Talked over 28% Someone repeating your ideas as their own 24% Asked about dating life 24% Positive comments about your body 23% Asked about qualifications 22% Being mistaken for someone in a role lower than yours 18% Demeaning remarks about “people like you” 16% Negative comments about your body 16%
Experience of Microaggressions
No two experiences of microaggressions are necessarily the same. These experiences can come from unexpected sources. Consider these examples:
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30% of respondents believe microaggressions from senior people are worse than from a peer.
Broken down, 14% say microaggressions from senior people are worse than microaggressions from peers, while 16% say they’re much worse. By contrast, only 7% of respondents think microaggressions from peers are either somewhat or much worse.
Peer vs Senior Person Microaggressions
Which is worse Share of respondents Peer is much worse 4% Peer is somewhat worse 3% No difference 57% Senior person is somewhat worse 14% Senior person is much worse 16% No answer 6% -
36% of employees have witnessed microaggressions at work.
However, it’s also important to note that 24% are unsure of whether or not they’ve experienced microaggressions at work, and given the nature of microaggressions, it could be assumed that some of these individuals witnessed them unknowingly.
Have you witnessed a microaggression? Share of respondents Yes 36% No 39% Unsure 24% No answer 2% -
26% of Americans have experienced microaggressions at work.
Luckily, 51% of people haven’t experienced microaggressions at work, but it is worth noting that 22% aren’t sure if they’ve experienced a microaggression or not.
Have you experienced microaggression at work? Share of respondents Yes 26% No 51% Unsure 22% No answer 2% -
31% of people call out microaggressions when they occur.
Likewise, 31% do nothing, making these the most common responses when someone experiences a microaggression.
Response to a microaggression Share of respondents Called them out at the time 31% Nothing 31% Spoke to them after the fact 20% Consider leaving the company 16% Reported the incident to the manager 16% Reported the incident to HR 11% Leave the company 10% Other 12% No answer 5% -
48% of women say they’ve experienced a microaggression on the basis of their gender.
Women deal with more gender-based discrimination than men, as only 21% report experiencing microaggressions on the basis of their gender.
Microaggression Men Women Gender 21% 48% Age 30% 35% Physical appearance 33% 30% Race 37% 23% Education 25% 20% -
62% of Black workers have experienced microaggressions on the basis of their race.
Black workers report dealing with the most race-related microaggressions, but this is an issue for other races as well. For instance, 50% of Hispanic workers also report experiencing microaggressions on the basis of their race. While on the only hand, only 16% of White workers report the same.
Microaggression White Black Hispanic Race 16% 62% 50% Gender 37% 24% 32% Age 33% 18% 25% Physical appearance 33% 24% 29% Education 22% 18% 26%
Opinions of Microaggressions
Many might believe that microaggressions aren’t taken seriously in the workplace, but luckily, many employees seem to have caught on to their insidious nature. To find out more about what people think about workplace microaggressions, here are some key facts:
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33% of employees believe microaggressions are a “very serious” problem in the workplace.
In fact, the majority of employees (68%) believe microaggressions are at least a somewhat serious problem, while only 31% believe it’s either not a serious problem or not a problem at all.
How serious of a problem are microaggressions at work? Share of respondents Very serious 33% Somewhat serious 35% Not so serious 22% Not at all serious 9% No answer 1% -
51% of people believe discrimination in the workplace is getting better.
Luckily, a majority of people in the US believe discrimination is getting better. Unfortunately, though, just under half believe that it’s the same as always or even getting worse.
Opinions on discrimination in the workplace Share of respondents Getting better 51% About the same as always 38% Getting worse 10% No answer 1% -
67% of people believe that if someone commits a microaggression in the workplace, they should be made to apologize.
As opposed to the 27% who don’t believe an apology is necessary. In many ways, this seems like a simple solution for resolving the situation, but it’s still unclear how effective this is at preventing the behavior in the future.
Workplace Microaggression FAQ
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How do microaggressions affect the workplace?
Microaggressions affect the workplace in a net negative way. For example, workers who experience microaggressions show increased burnout and reduced job satisfaction. This ultimately contributes to the fact that 10% of workers who experience microaggressions will leave the company.
This then has the cascading effect of causing poor company reviews, which will drive more new employees away and reflect poorly on your company culture.
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What are examples of microaggressions in the workplace?
The most common example of microaggressions in the workplace is being treated unprofessionally, but there are many others as well. Here is an extensive list of common microaggressions you could experience:
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Being addressed in an unprofessional way
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Being told you’re “well-spoken”
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Being talked over in a meeting
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Someone repeating your ideas as their own
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Being asked about your dating life
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Receiving positive comments about your body
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Being asked about your qualifications
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Being mistaken for someone in a role lower than yours
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Receiving demeaning remarks about “people like you”
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Receiving negative comments about your body
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How can microaggressions at work be prevented?
Microaggressions at work can be prevented through company policy, education and fostering a positive company culture. For example, here are some simple ways companies can reduce and ultimately eliminate microaggressions at work:
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Provide educational seminars and programs to employees, so they can be more aware of what would be considered a microaggression
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Have a system that allows for the identification of misbehaviors, and provide an open environment for employees to report occurrences
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Provide consequences to employees to commit microaggressions, whether minor or serious.
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Take surveys and regularly evaluate the health of company culture among employees.
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How do you address microaggressions at work?
Microaggressions at work are best addressed through education and understanding. Often, when microaggressions occur, they’re not out of malice but rather the result of the person who committed the act not understanding the connotations behind their words.
Therefore, to address and prevent actions, it’s important to inform people of the harm they’ve caused, why it was harmful, and how to prevent the behavior in the future.
Likewise, if the behavior continues, it’s important to address it by providing consequences. This sends the message that harmful rhetoric in the workplace will not be tolerated.
Conclusion
As of 2023, 68% of people believe microaggressions are a problem in the workplace, and there’s a reason why. At least 26% of Americans have experienced microaggressions at work, and more specifically, 48% of women have experienced microaggressions on the basis of their gender, and 62% of Black workers have experienced them on the basis of their race.
This showcases a troubling trend in that many minorities, and vulnerable communities still feel outcasted or unsafe in the workplace.
Luckily, there are ways companies can mitigate these issues. By addressing microaggressions, providing education to employees, and punishing recurring offenders, a more positive work environment can be fostered and built.
Sources:
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FordHarrison – Diversity in the Works: Recognizing and Stopping Microaggressions in the Workplace
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Curiosity at Work – Study: microaggressions in the workplace
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Forbes – The Microaggressions Still Prevalent In The Workplace
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Gallup – One in Four Black Workers Report Discrimination at Work
- Statistics
- Employee Retention Statistics
- Happy Employees Are More Productive
- Workplace Distraction Statistics
- Average Freelancer Rates
- Average Working Hours
- Offboarding Statistics
- Employee Productivity Statistics
- Workplace Microagression Statistics
- Employee Monitoring Statistics
- Employee Training And Development Statistics
- Lead Generation Statistics
Author
Jack Flynn
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
