Advocacy, as a young Pacific woman

Self-advocacy at work as a young Pacific woman of colour, through the lens of gender, intersectionality, and identity

I want to preface this blog with a caveat: I LOVE my job - I have also loved my previous jobs. They are (and have been) the most supportive workplaces, with the most supportive managers and teams, and I am so truly grateful for them. But in saying that, once you hit 30 (like I have), it would be remiss of us not to share tips and actual strategies (which have worked) on how we have gotten to where we are - at whatever point in our careers - with those who come behind us.

So this is my playbook for you, if you are just exiting uni - just entering the workforce - or still trying to find your feet at your new job.

Also, just because it would be [kind of] annoying to be reading with references sprinkled throughout the text, I've reformatted this to not read as one of my nerdy blogs, and kept my references at the end. I promise everything said here is research-backed, and I am not trying to cause unnecessary waves :)

So! Self-advocacy... the term itself is sold as a simple workplace skill: speak up, negotiate, be confident. Cute. In practice, self-advocacy is happening inside systems that don’t judge everyone’s confidence the same way. Systems that may not have been built with us - young, Pacific women - in mind.

That’s where intersectionality comes in: the idea that race, gender, class, migration status, and other identities don’t “add up” neatly - they interact, creating distinct patterns of advantage and disadvantage. Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term "intersectionality” to explain how people can be missed by policies and narratives that treat “race” and “gender” as singularly separate lanes. (I spoke about Kimberlé - because I LOVE her work - in a separate blog).  

For a young Pacific woman of colour, this matters because workplace norms often reward a narrow version of “executive presence” that assumes whiteness, maleness, and individualism as the default. When you step outside that default, the same behaviours (assertiveness, directness, ambition) can be interpreted differently - sometimes as “leadership,” sometimes as “attitude.”

This blog is a playbook for self-advocacy that is both strategic and identity-honouring for us as Pacific women: high-impact moves, low drama, built for long-term career compounding.

1) The real problem: not your confidence, but the incentive structure

Backlash is real - and it is patterned

Research on negotiation shows a recurring trap: women can be penalised for initiating negotiations, especially by male evaluators, because the same act is seen as less “nice” or more “demanding.”  

And it gets more specific: women often anticipate backlash and thus may negotiate less assertively as a form of impression management (basically: “I’d like fair pay and to be liked”).  

There’s also evidence that backlash dynamics shift depending on whether women are negotiating for themselves vs. for others, and whether their style is read as “too dominant.”  

Translation for the workplace: your advocate voice is not being evaluated in a vacuum; it’s being evaluated through stereotypes about who is “allowed” to ask.

Microaggressions have an intersectional flavour

A growing body of work describes gendered racial microaggressions - experiences that are not “just racism” or “just sexism,” but the blend of both - linked to stress and wellbeing outcomes.  

Even when the behaviours are subtle (tone policing, questioning competence, “surprise” at your articulation), the cumulative load is not subtle.

Translation: when you’re constantly managing how you’re perceived, self-advocacy costs more energy.

Identity taxation: the hidden workload no one budgets for

Workplaces frequently “volunteer” women of colour into extra emotional labour: diversity panels, cultural translation, mentoring, “can you just explain…”, community liaison - often without recognition or reward. This has been described as cultural taxation, expanded to broader identity-based burdens.  

Translation: you can be overworked and under-credited at the same time unless you actively manage the terms.

2) The Pacific context: culture, collectivism, and the “brown glass ceiling”

Research focused on Pacific women in Aotearoa New Zealand describes barriers that sit at the intersection of organisational power structures, male-dominant workplace culture, and Pacific cultural expectations - often framed as a “glass ceiling” effect.  

This is not about Pacific culture being “the problem.” It’s about workplaces misreading Pacific ways of being - humility, collective orientation, respect protocols - as a lack of ambition, while simultaneously expecting Pacific women to carry cultural labour for the organisation.

Here’s the identity tension many young Pacific women navigate at work:

• Collective values vs. individual promotion systems (which reward self-marketing).

• Respectful communication vs. workplaces that reward constant interruption.

• Being “palatable” vs. being powerful - and being judged more harshly if you choose powerful.

Self-advocacy, then, is not “become someone else.” It’s become fluent in power while staying anchored in self.

3) A practical self-advocacy operating system (designed for real workplaces)

So now to my playbook of navigating these potential issues that you may encounter as you progress in your career.

A) Build an “Impact Ledger” (your evidence engine)

Self-advocacy is easiest when it’s not vibes - it’s data. DATED data: "Jan 1/2026: I closed off a deal that won my company $-XXX", etc.

Run a simple monthly log:

• Outcomes delivered (metrics if possible)

• Stakeholders served

• Problems solved (especially the messy ones)

• Revenue saved/earned, time saved, risk reduced

• Positive feedback (screenshots count)

TABLE THESE - HAVE A SPREADSHEET WITH THESE COLUMNS IN AN EXCEL FILE, AND FILL THEM IN, LIKE YOUR CAREER DEPENDS ON IT. Because it does. At your next performance review, before a potential promotion, this is what you refer back to, when you want to say what you have done to deserve the pay rise or promotion. Mine is called "Vanessa's Career Playbook MASTER COPY"

This does two things:

1. It reduces the chance your work gets invisibilised.

2. It makes promotion/pay conversations feel like a business review, not a personal plea.

Power move: write your achievements in the language leadership uses (risk, efficiency, growth, retention), not only the language your team uses.

B) Use “strategic framing” to reduce backlash without shrinking

Because backlash is a known pattern in negotiation research, you can advocate in ways that keep you centred while giving others fewer excuses to misinterpret you.  

Try framing asks with:

• Business alignment: “Based on scope and results, I’d like to align my title/compensation to market and impact.”

• Mutual gains: “Here are two options that help the team and reflect the value of the role.”

• Future focus: “To deliver X next quarter, I’ll need Y authority/resources.”

This is not “softening.” It’s positioning - the corporate version of 'choosing high ground' and men do this so horribly easily - whilst we struggle. I've seen my husband do this MANYYY times in our business, while in the same situation, 20-year-old me would have been worried about hurting someone's feelings, whether speaking up would be a career-limiting move, or if I was "doing too much". Reality check - all of the above are not true, so speak your truths - clearly.

C) Negotiate like a strategist, not a contestant

A useful insight from negotiation research: when women negotiate on behalf of others, backlash can reduce, and assertiveness can be easier to sustain.  

You can ethically leverage that by linking your ask to team outcomes:

• “This adjustment reflects my expanded remit and ensures continuity for the program.”

• “To keep delivering at this level, we should formalise the role and resourcing.”

You are not asking for charity. You’re protecting performance.

D) Treat sponsorship as a KPI (not a nice-to-have)

Mentors give advice. SPONSORS move levers - they advocate for you in talent discussions when you’re not in the room.

Operationalise this:

• Identify 2–3 leaders with influence over promotions/projects

• Create opportunities for them to see your work (briefings, showcases, written updates)

• Ask directly: “Would you be open to sponsoring me for X pathway?”

If that feels scary, remember: organisations run on people making asks. You’re learning the language of power - on purpose.

E) Manage stereotype threat and performance pressure with process

Stereotype threat - the risk of being judged through stereotypes - can shape workplace behaviour, including feedback-seeking and performance contexts.

You don’t “positive-think” your way out of it. You design around it.

Practical moves:

• Ask for specific success criteria upfront (“What does excellent look like here?”)

• Request feedback on work products, not personality (“What should I change in this slide deck/plan?”)

• Keep a “receipts” folder of praise and outcomes for confidence calibration

This turns anxiety into a workflow.

F) Set boundaries around identity taxation - without burning bridges

If you’re always the go-to for DEI work, cultural translation, or emotional labour, convert that into recognised value or decline strategically. The research on cultural/identity taxation is clear: extra service burdens are often real and unevenly distributed.  

Three boundary scripts that stay professional:

• Prioritisation: “I can support one of these - what should be deprioritised?”

• Role clarity: “Happy to help if it’s formalised in my goals and evaluated accordingly.

• Redirect: “I’m not best placed, but I can suggest someone/a resource.”

That’s not being difficult. That’s operating with governance.

4) Identity: you’re not “too much” - you’re multidimensional

Intersectionality is not only about disadvantage; it’s also about strategy. Your identity can be a source of leadership assets - systems thinking, relational intelligence, community orientation, resilience, cultural fluency. The goal is not to assimilate; it’s to translate your strengths into organisational value.

A grounded way to hold identity at work:

• Keep your values non-negotiable

• Keep your tactics flexible

• Keep your evidence visible

That combination is career-durable.

5) What organisations should change (because self-advocacy shouldn’t be survival)

A truth we should say out loud: individuals can be strategic, but organisations still need to fix biased systems.

Evidence-aligned organisational moves include:

• Clear promotion criteria, not “gut feel”

• Structured performance reviews to reduce bias

• Recognition (and workload budgeting) for DEI and cultural labour

• Active sponsorship pathways for marginalised talent

• Consequences for microaggressive behaviour, not just “training”

Self-advocacy works best in workplaces that don’t punish it.

With all that being said - and if no one ever told you this until now - I want YOU, as a young woman to advocate for yourself like it’s governance, not ego.

As a young Pacific woman of colour, your self-advocacy can be both soft-power and sharp-edge: relational and rigorous. You don’t need to perform a different identity to be taken seriously. You need a strategy that protects your energy, makes your impact legible, and keeps you in proximity to opportunity.

The meta-goal is simple: make your value impossible to misfile.

Disclaimer: I am a freelance writer and the information and content provided on this page are my opinions alone. All content (unless quoted/sourced) is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without my express written consent.

References

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Amanatullah, E. T., & Tinsley, C. H. (2013). Punishing female negotiators for asserting too much… or not enough: Exploring why advocacy moderates backlash against assertive female negotiators. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 120(1), 110-122.

Bowles, H. R., Babcock, L., & Lai, L. (2007). Social incentives for gender differences in the propensity to initiate negotiations: Sometimes it does hurt to ask. Organizational Behavior and human decision Processes, 103(1), 84-103.

Carbado, D. W., Crenshaw, K. W., Mays, V. M., & Tomlinson, B. (2013). INTERSECTIONALITY: Mapping the Movements of a Theory1. Du Bois review: social science research on race, 10(2), 303-312.

Crenshaw, K. W. (2013). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. In The public nature of private violence (pp. 93-118). Routledge.

Erving, C. L., Williams, T. R., Frierson, W., & Derisse, M. (2022). Gendered racial microaggressions, psychosocial resources, and depressive symptoms among black women attending a historically black university. Society and mental health, 12(3), 230-247.

Forbes, N., Yang, L. C., & Lim, S. (2023). Intersectional discrimination and its impact on Asian American women's mental health: A mixed-methods scoping review. Frontiers in public health, 11, 993396.

Joseph, T. D., & Hirshfield, L. E. (2023). Introduction: Reexamining racism, sexism, and identity taxation in the academy. In Reexamining Racism, Sexism, and Identity Taxation in the Academy (pp. 1-8). Routledge.

Ofe-Grant, M. B. (2024). Brown glass ceiling career inequalities?: Empirical evidence from Samoans in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations, 48(2), 1-24.

Roberson, L., Deitch, E. A., Brief, A. P., & Block, C. J. (2003). Stereotype threat and feedback seeking in the workplace. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 62(1), 176-188.

Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans. Journal of personality and social psychology, 69(5), 797.