New York, N.Y. – Multicultural women face the lowest glass ceiling, even compared to their multicultural male peers, according to a new study presented by Working Mother Media in conjunction with its annual Best Companies for Multicultural Women National Conference, taking place in New York City. The representation of multicultural women declines 71% as they move up the corporate ladder, while the representation of multicultural men holds essentially steady—and actually rises slightly at the board of directors level.

“This powerful research gives companies specific directions and concrete steps to take to advance multicultural women,” Carol Evans, President, Working Mother Media. “And multicultural women will be able to lean on this research to get the support they need to advance.  I am thrilled to bring this exciting work to our national conference and to the attention of American business.”

“Women of color make up 14% of the workforce but only 4% of corporate executives, a decline of 71%.  This decline puts into stark relief the double bind that multicultural women find themselves in,” said Jennifer Owens, Senior Director of Editorial Research & Initiatives, Working Mother Media. “That said, our Best Companies for Multicultural Women are ahead of the nation when it comes to representation of multicultural women at all levels. From leadership training to career counseling and mentoring, these winning companies are leading the charge for change and doing what it takes to advance multicultural women.”

The recently released Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women list represents 20 standouts among Corporate America. Multicultural women represent 12% of managers, 6% of senior managers and 4% of both corporate executives and the boards of directors at the winning companies, which include the top five winners: General Mills, Goldman Sachs, IBM, KPMG and Procter & Gamble. Between 2003 and 2007, the rate of total multicultural women hires at the Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women outpaced attrition, 18% versus 15%, respectively, and 100% offer formal mentoring.

About Working Mother Media
Celebrating 30 years, Working Mother magazine reaches 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers; and workingmother.com brings to the web a broad range of insight and solutions served to working mothers every day. Working Mother’s 24-year signature research initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. With offices in New York and Washington, D.C., Working Mother Media, a subsidiary of Bonnier Corp., includes the National Association for Female Executives, Diversity Best Practices, the WorkLife Congress, and the Multicultural Women’s Conference and Town Halls. Working Mother Media’s mission is to champion cultural change.