Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Karina Kasztelnik

Abstract

The cultural and historical background of Black women represents unique complexities in the journey to management. The specific problem was that Black women often faced more gender and racial biases while advancing into management positions in corporate America than their White male and female counterparts. The purpose of this qualitative, descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of Black women advancing into management positions who face more gender and racial biases than their White male and female counterparts in corporate America. The conceptual framework that grounded this study was the intersectionality of gender and race. The research question was designed to understand what lived experiences of Black women were advancing into management positions regarding gender and racial biases compared to White male and female counterparts in corporate America. A purposeful sampling was used to collect the narratives from 10 Black women in the Midwestern regions in the United States. A thematic analysis was employed to explore the lived experiences of Black women advancing into management positions. Five main themes emerged from the data in response to the research question: (a) gender and racial biases in the workplace, (b) the need for perseverance strategies, (c) own professional development, (d) important resources for Black women, and (e) hindsight. The findings indicated that gender and racial biases in the workplace perpetuate the underrepresentation of Black women in management. The data also suggested that Black women used perseverance strategies to help them ascend into managerial roles effectively. The findings may contribute to positive social change at the individual, organizational, and societal/policy levels.

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