Summary of Deepa Purushothaman's The First, the Few, the Only

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 To find your power, you must first break through the delusions you are forced to ignore as a woman of color working in corporate environments. Delusions are so-called rules that have been set up around you. They are stories you have been told to make you believe and act a certain way.

#2 The truth is, Corporate America has never fostered true equity for women of color, and company cultures aren’t set up to support us.

#3 The idea that the pipeline is broken and we just can’t find you is a myth. Data shows that people tend to congregate with others who are similar to them. White leaders are not looking in the right places, and they are not addressing all the ways in which they force WOC out.

#4 The well-known résumé study by Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan in 2003 found that a white name yielded as many callbacks as an additional eight years’ experience from a person of color.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822529274

IRB Media

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Insights on Deepa Purushothaman's The First, the Few, the Only

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

To find your power, you must first break through the delusions you are forced to ignore as a woman of color working in corporate environments. Delusions are so-called rules that have been set up around you. They are stories you have been told to make you believe and act a certain way.

#2

The truth is, Corporate America has never fostered true equity for women of color, and company cultures aren’t set up to support us.

#3

The idea that the pipeline is broken and we just can’t find you is a myth. Data shows that people tend to congregate with others who are similar to them. White leaders are not looking in the right places, and they are not addressing all the ways in which they force WOC out.

#4

The well-known résumé study by Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan in 2003 found that a white name yielded as many callbacks as an additional eight years’ experience from a person of color.

#5

The paradox is that the more we try to fit in, the more we lose touch with our own identities and the more we become disempowered.

#6

The more senior you are in your career, the more you’re expected to conform to the group. This may be due to the concept of pet to threat, which describes how Black women are embraced early in their careers but become threats as they gain skills and confidence.

#7

The idea of meritocracy, which is the