Therapy for Black Girls — Session 429: The Double Tax

Date: September 17, 2025
Host: Dr. Joy Harden Bradford
Guest: Anna Gifty, Economist, Advocate, Author

Overview

This episode centers on the concept of the "double tax" — the compounded and often invisible cost of being both a woman and a racial minority in today's economy. Dr. Joy Harden Bradford welcomes economist and author Anna Gifty to discuss her new book, The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid. Their conversation is a blend of data-driven insights and lived experiences, covering topics like intersectional inequities, homeownership, career barriers, entrepreneurship, care work, and practical strategies for change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining the "Double Tax"

• What is the Double Tax?

  • Anna Gifty defines "double tax" as the compounded cost of racism and sexism in economic life for women of color.
  • “The double tax is sort of the quantification of misogynoir fully realized.” (Anna Gifty, 05:58)

• Research Motivation

  • Anna’s research revealed that most economic studies focus on either race or gender, rarely both, leaving a gap in understanding intersectional inequities.
  • She noted a lack of language and data to quantify the overlapping burdens faced by women of color.

2. Real-World Costs: Hair, Beauty, and Homeownership

• The Cost of Hair

  • Black women continue to face disproportionate financial and emotional costs related to hair care, with young Black girls naming "hair" as their biggest ongoing expense.
    • “The cost that I’ve dealt with, the ones that you’ve dealt with, Dr. Joy… they were reflected in the answers that these young girls were saying. I said, ‘So what is most costly for y’all?’ And they said, ‘hair.’” (Anna Gifty, 09:45)
  • Even in 2025, access to suitable products is limited, and attempting to conform to beauty standards or avoid penalization at work leads to significant expense.
    • “These braids that I have in right now, gorgeous. However, the way it turned my pocketbook, right, like I’m spending $350 to $400. And that’s on the lower end.” (Anna Gifty, 13:22)
  • Asian American women face similar product market exclusions, highlighting a broader problem.

• Time Tax

  • Black women often lose 6–8 hours just getting their hair done, sometimes losing wages or paid time off in the process.
    • “It’s not just that you’re losing eight hours in the day, you’re losing eight hours of wages, potentially.” (Anna Gifty, 16:12)

• Homeownership & Wealth

  • Historically, homeownership is seen as a pathway to wealth, but portfolio diversification is far less accessible for Black families.
  • Distinct new homeownership rates:
    • For Black homeowners in 2024, 49% were first-time buyers versus just 20% for white homeowners — evidence of racial wealth divides and intergenerational gaps.
    • For every dollar of wealth a white man holds, a white woman holds $0.78, but a Black woman holds only $0.34–$0.08. (Anna Gifty, 20:05)
  • The only substantive policy Anna identifies that could close these gaps is reparations:
    • “There’s only one policy that actually closes this racial wealth gap that we’ve been talking about, and that is reparations.” (Anna Gifty, 21:38)

3. Layoffs, Career Barriers, and Economic Indicators

• Recent Layoffs' Disproportionate Impact

  • Over 300,000 Black women have been affected by layoffs. Anna explains that Black women are concentrated in "expendable" low-wage jobs, a result of occupational segregation.
  • "If we're already facing barriers during the good times, what happens during the bad times? These things just become worse for us." (Anna Gifty, 25:35)

• "Shock Absorbers" of the Economy

  • Black women's experiences serve as early indicators of wider economic decline:
    • "We are the shock absorbers of a future economic crisis for everybody else." (Anna Gifty, 25:55)

4. Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital

• Barriers in Business
  • Venture capital and small business funding remains overwhelmingly inaccessible to women of color:
    • “Amongst the funding that’s allocated for diverse founders, the majority…does not go towards women of color. It goes to white women.” (Anna Gifty, 31:33)
  • Even those who succeed face skepticism from landlords and lenders and must work "three times as hard to get a crumb of return.”
  • Rare success stories, like Ashley Wisdom raising $1 million+, illustrate both possibility and persistent obstacles.

5. Pathological Productivity and Workplace Dynamics

• Unrewarded Labor & Biased Evaluations
  • Black women are often expected to do above-and-beyond (and usually unpaid) work but are promoted at much lower rates and evaluated unfairly.
    • “If you work in the workplace as a Black woman… you’re probably being asked to do 25 million things that are not in your job description.” (Anna Gifty, 34:58)
    • Performance appraisal language for Black women is not only non-actionable but often negative and personality-based.

6. The Hidden Costs of Caregiving

• Cultural and Emotional Toll

  • Black women are often primary caregivers—whether for children, elders, or others—a role both honored and intensely burdensome.
    • “Writing the chapters about motherhood and caregiving shifted my brain chemistry because I don’t think people understand how much we rely on our caregivers.” (Anna Gifty, 41:43)
  • The emotional toll grows over time, and boundaries and rest are essential for survival:
    • “You cannot pour from an empty cup… The responsibilities of caregiving compound.” (Anna Gifty, 43:20)

• Cultural Expectations vs. Self-Preservation

  • It's possible and necessary to reframe expectations while maintaining cultural respect:
    • “In order for me to take care of you, I've also got to take care of myself.” (Anna Gifty, 47:58)

7. Opening Up Conversations and Paths Forward

• Breaking the Taboo Around Financial and Emotional Stress
  • Anna advocates for honest conversations among Black women and their communities about money, burnout, and mental health.
    • “Being honest about where you’re at is actually really, really important to healing in general, but also to just living a life that’s fuller and more fulfilling.” (Anna Gifty, 53:00)
  • Her book is structured to offer practical steps at the end of every chapter to help reduce these "costs".

8. Economic Indicators and the Bigger Picture

• Black Women as Economic Barometers
  • Anna urges listeners to pay attention to Black women's experiences in the labor force as a predictor for broader economic trends:
    • “What’s happening with Black and brown communities economically often is a… looking into the future, what’s about to happen.” (Anna Gifty, 56:06)
    • Declining labor force participation among Black women is a sign of trouble ahead for everyone.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The double tax is sort of the quantification of misogynoir fully realized.” (Anna Gifty, 05:58)
• “I don’t want my nieces who are now three and four to have to deal with this in 10 years.” (Anna Gifty, 09:49)
• “Even if Black folks saved as much as white Folks… there’s only one policy that actually closes this racial wealth gap… and that is reparations.” (Anna Gifty, 21:38)
• “We are the shock absorbers of a future economic crisis for everybody else.” (Anna Gifty, 25:55)
• “As a Black woman entrepreneur, you’re having to work three times as hard to get a crumb of return.” (Anna Gifty, 33:54)
• “You cannot pour from an empty cup. And one thing that I learned from [caregivers]… is that if you are not careful, the responsibilities of caregiving compound.” (Anna Gifty, 43:20)
• “Being honest about where you’re at is actually really, really important to healing,” (Anna Gifty, 53:00)

Important Timestamps

• Defining Double Tax & Research Gap: 05:42 – 07:47
• Stories from Black Girls About Hair: 09:00 – 13:22
• Costs of Hair and Time: 13:22 – 16:53
• Homeownership’s Wealth Gap: 17:13 – 21:38
• Wealth Disparities by Race & Gender: 20:05 – 22:06
• Layoffs and Career Segregation: 22:06 – 27:19
• Entrepreneurship Barriers: 31:14 – 34:39
• Pathological Productivity: 34:39 – 37:26
• Caregiving and Mental Health: 41:31 – 47:58
• Honest Conversations for Healing: 50:34 – 53:00
• Black Women as Economic Indicators: 55:44 – 59:13

Next Steps & Takeaways

• Read & Share: Anna encourages listeners to read The Double Tax together and use it to spark conversations about economic, emotional, and social stressors.
• Policy Advocacy: Push for policies that address wealth gaps, including reparations and paid caregiving.
• Community Support: Cultivate honest dialogue, boundary setting, and collective care.

Connect with Anna Gifty:

• Website & Book: anagifty.com / Ask local libraries and Black-owned bookstores for The Double Tax
• Social: @itsaphronomics (Blue Sky, Instagram)

Closing Words:
“I know that Black women always show up for Black women… making sure this book hopefully becomes a success.” (Anna Gifty, 61:41)