Research: People Can Learn to Recognize Their Racial Privilege

Structural racism is a reality in the American workplace. Studies have shown that all else being equal, white employees are more likely than their non-white peers to receive callbacks for job interviews, are less likely to be blamed for poor performance, earn significantly higher wages, and advance faster. But despite this substantial body of research, many white Americans continue to deny that they may benefit from racial privilege in work settings. In fact, a 2021 survey found that nearly half of white people in the U.S. believe that they are discriminated against — not privileged — due to their race.

Of course, some discomfort surrounding the idea of privilege is understandable. Being confronted with racial privilege can trigger strong feelings of defensiveness and denial, especially in workplace contexts that are assumed to be merit-driven. Unfortunately, research has shown that white Americans who deny racial privilege often express less desire to combat social inequities or act as allies for their non-white colleagues, suggesting that privilege denial can have a substantial negative impact on organizations’ DEI efforts. Furthermore, it’s often the leaders whose support is most critical for the success of DEI initiatives who are least likely to believe that the problems these initiatives are designed to address actually exist — creating a major stumbling block for their success.

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