The Pressure to Stay “Strong”: Black Women and Economic Burnout
Black women are waymakers. If there is no opportunity available, we create it. We know how to ‘stretch money’ in hard times and ‘make a dollar out of 15 cents’ if there aren’t enough resources. While this has been a part of Black women’s brilliance and tenacity, it can be a challenge to continue these practices for the long-term, especially in the face of insurmountable obstacles.
Being the strong one to produce economically for self, family, and community is a pressure that is starting to be uncovered. From the mass layoffs of 2025 to the shrinking social safety net, Black women who could hold things down financially can no longer do so. Black women are praised for being the ‘backbone’ of the community. But what happens when our backs are broken from the burnout, the shifting sociopolitical landscape, and economic uncertainty?
In this conversation for Moving Beyond Burnout with Marissa Price, LSW, Co-Founder of the Job Liberation Virtual Summit for Black women, we unpack how economic instability and pressure to perform are impacting Black women right now. We’ll break down what you can do to prepare and shift, while also tending to your well-being.
