The Double Tax: What It Really Costs Women of Color to Succeed

Oct 28, 2025

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We tell women to negotiate harder, lean in, and ask for what they’re worth. But what if the system was designed to make that impossible? Economist Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman calls it the double tax—the compounded price of racism and sexism that drains women of color’s time, money, and energy just to show up and succeed.

In this episode, we unpack how that hidden tax shows up at work—from policing what it means to be “presentable” to the unconscious stereotypes women of color navigate before they even get the job —and what it means for the ways women negotiate, lead, and thrive.

Anna breaks down the numbers and the stories behind them, revealing why individual fixes aren’t enough and what real equity could look like when we stop asking women to bear the cost alone. Tune in now to learn:

Listen in to learn:

Just how widespread the “double tax” really is;
The deeply ingrained politics of presentability every woman navigates;
How biases and stigmas follow women of color throughout their careers;
Why building connection is the foundational step we need