• by Colin Kirkland , February 16, 2023

As part of Dove's commitment to help pass The CROWN Act, or “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair" -- a law that prohibits racial discrimination in the workplace based on hairstyles -- the brand has partnered with LinkedIn on a series of actions to help advance Black women's employment opportunities.

Together, Dove and LinkedIn are committing to provide free access to 10 LinkedIn Learning courses focused on creating a more equitable and inclusive work environment, aiming to educate 1 million hiring managers and workplace professionals by the end of 2023.

Both brands also say they will elevate and celebrate real stories and voices of Black women professionals via LinkedIn and social media platforms using #BlackHairIsProfessional to help redefine what society deems “professional” at work.

Dove and LinkedIn have also co-commissioned a new study that details the systemic social and economic impact of hairstyle-based bias against Black women in the workplace, finding that Black women's hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional.

The study also highlights the finding that 66% of Black women change their hair for job interviews, and 41% of them change their hair from curly to straight. Black women with coily and textured hair are two times more likely to experience microaggressions in the workplace than Black women with straight hair.

In addition, over 20% of Black women ages 25 to 34 participating in the study said they had been sent home from work because of their hair, with 25% saying they believe they have been denied a job interview because of their hair.  

“For far too long, Black women and men have been subject to unfair treatment, outright discrimination and a myriad of inequities for simply wearing our natural hair texture and hair styles that are inherent to our cultural identity,” says Esi Eggleston Bracey, president and CEO of Unilever Personal Care in North America. “This includes being denied employment, being sent home from work, being overlooked for promotions, and a range of microaggressions.”

Eggleston Bracey adds that the new partnership between Dove and LinkedIn aims to call upon employers, hiring managers and professionals to adopt equitable and inclusive practices that create a respectful and open world for natural hair.

“As Dove works to change legislation, LinkedIn is working to change workplace behavior by training and educating one million hiring managers and human resources professionals on inclusive and equitable business practices,” said Rosanna Durruthy, global vice president of diversity, inclusion, and belonging at LinkedIn. “The mission of ending race-based hair discrimination is critically important to our own desire to make work, work better for everyone.”

Dove says it will continue to drive awareness of The CROWN Act across platforms, encourage petition signatures, and continue to expand the CROWN Coalition, which has grown to an alliance of over 100 organizations including the National Urban League, Color of Change, and Western Center on Law and Poverty.