What do you do?” is one of the first questions people often ask when meeting someone new. Although those who ask it may think they’re well-intentioned, we have to ask why it is such a go-to question, and what do we even do with this information when the person responds with their job title?
If we’re honest, this question is often used as a metric to determine someone’s worth or, at least, relevance in society. In the Black community, there is often a heavy emphasis on working hard, sometimes until being burned out, as Black Women tend to take on a variety of both paid and unpaid labour.
Research from the mental health charity Mind reveals that “Black and Black British women are more likely to experience a common mental health problem (29%) compared to White British women (21%) and non-British White women (16%)”. It’s no secret that burnout can affect your physical and mental well-being, so this data should serve as a warning to protect peace – even when it comes to taking on roles that pay the bills.