WOMEN OF COLOUR
SAFETY AND WORK (WoCSAW)
RESEARCH INSITUTE
You're invited!
To collaborate, co-create and learn
The WoCSAW Research Institute is a collaboration between Paisley Group, Women of Colour Australia (WoCA) and researchers across Australia and beyond.​
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Led by global expert on intersectionality, Dr Varina Michaels, and cultural and emotional intelligent leadership expert, Dr Gelareh Holden.
WoCSAW Research Institute is a collaboration between
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and our partners from
Our goals
Advocate for an intersectional approach to safety and equality at work.
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Advocate for representation of diverse women, including Women of Colour, in organisations and leadership to prevent gendered violence at work and at home.
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Build an evidence base for Women of Colour's experiences at work and effective strategies to create safe, inclusive and respectful workplaces.
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Original research
Forging the Labyrinth:
The Careers of Female Migrant Executives in Australia
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2025
Have Your Say: Women of Colour International Student Experiences and Recommendations
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Event May 21 2025
Beyond The Smile: Preventing Gendered Violence Against Women of Colour In Australian Visitor Economy
2025
Our resources and guides
1 / Challenging the Critics: Addressing Misconceptions About DEI for Women of Colour
Dr Varina Michaels
3 / Fight, Flight, Freeze or Fawn: How Women of Colour Respond to Threats
Dr Varina Michaels
Fawcett Society UK
Women of Color Canada
Center for American Progress
Suyahman Suyahman, Suud Sarim Karimullah, Muh. Akbar Fhad Syahril in Jambura Law Review [an ASEAN Comparison of Social Justice]
Shirlena Huang, Kanchana N. Ruwanpura in Handbook on Gender in Asia
Husmiati Yusuf, Adi Fahrudin and Fahmi Ilman Fahrudin in Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems
Lynrose Jane Genon in Journal of Asian Pacific Communication
Women of Colour and intersectional equity in organisations around the world
What we are reading
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Ladge, J. J.; Sugiyama, K.; Smith, A. N.; Baskerville Watkins, N.; Carlton, P. (2025) Minding the Gap: How Perspective-Taking and Status Reflexivity Help Black Women Executives to Relate Across Difference at Work. Organization Science 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2020.14375
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Sue, D. W., Alsaidi, S., Awad, M. N., Glaeser, E., Calle, C. Z., & Mendez, N. (2019). Disarming racial microaggressions: Microintervention strategies for targets, White allies, and bystanders. American Psychologist, 74(1), 128-142.​​
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Wilson, J. (2023). Women of colour feel invisible at work: study. HRD Canada. https://www.hcamag.com/ca/specialization/diversity-inclusion/women-of-colour-feel-invisible-at-work-study/441127
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Davis, D. (2022). Black Women Are Less Likely To Get Quality Feedback At Work. That Impacts Their Earnings And Leadership Opportunities Over Time. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/darreonnadavis/2022/06/15/black-women-are-less-likely-to-get-quality-feedback-at-work-that-impacts-their-earnings-and-leadership-opportunities-over-time/
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Malhotra, R. (2023). How Colorism Affects Women at Work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/04/how-colorism-affects-women-at-work
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Khosroshahi, H. (2021). The Concrete Ceiling. Stanford Social Innovation Review. https://doi.org/10.48558/7KAE-D993
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A. Smith. “Do the Determinants of Promotion Differ for White Men Versus Women and Minorities? An Exploration of Intersectionalism through Sponsored and Contest Mobility Processes.” American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 48, no. 9, 2005: 1157–81.
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C. McCluney, K. Robotham, S. Lee, R. Smith, and M. Durkee (2019). “The Costs of Code-Switching”, Harvard Business Review, November 15. https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-costs-of-codeswitching.
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Catherine Archer, Marianne Sison, Brenda Gaddi, and Lauren O’Mahony (2022). Bodies of/at Work: How Women of Colour Experienced Their Workplaces and Have Been Expected to ‘Perform’ During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Intercultural Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/07256868.2022.2128091.
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J. C. Williams, D. Lewin Loyd, M. Boginsky, and F. Armas-Edwards (2021), How One Company Worked to Root Out Bias from Performance Reviews. Harvard Business Review, 21 April. https://hbr.org/2021/04/how-one-company-worked-to-root-out-bias-fromperformance-reviews.
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K.W. Crenshaw (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine. In Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum: 138–67.
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L. Thijssen, F. van Tubergen, M. Coenders, R. Hellpap, and S. Jak (2022). Discrimination of Black and Muslim Minority Groups in Western Societies: Evidence From a Meta-Analysis of Field Experiments. International Migration Review, vol. 56, no. 3: 843–80.
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Nicholas, L., Chandra, S., Hanckel, B., Ullman, J., & Ferfolja, T. (2022). Gender Equity in the Workplace: Intersectional and Gender & Sexuality Diverse Approaches. Sydney: Western Sydney University. https://doi.org/10.26183/g9h9-dm27.
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