The lived experience of African American women leaders concerning intersectionality and the methodologies they utilize to overcome barriers to leadership

ABSTRACT

African American women face barriers that prevent them from obtaining leadership positions. As a result, African American women are underrepresented in leadership positions. During the midst of the Coronavirus (COVID) Pandemic in 2020, the participation rate for African American women was 58.8% in the labor force, compared to all women, which was 56.2%. However, African American women only represented 1.4% of C-Suite, leadership positions. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of 10 African American women leaders at the GS-14 and GS-15 grade level. The participants were supervisors who worked at federal government agencies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. The conceptual framework encompasses leadership, intersectionality, and methodologies to overcome barriers to leadership. The research questions are "What is the lived experience of African American women leaders concerning intersectionality? and "What are the methodologies they utilize to overcome barriers to leadership?" Those who will benefit from this study include African American women aspiring to leadership positions and organizational leaders who aim to better understand the barriers that African American women face. The findings reflected how African American women leaders described their lived experiences and the methodologies they utilized to overcome barriers to leadership. Based on the findings, African American women leaders should continue to strive for equity in the workplace and should have the same opportunities as all counterparts. However, to further inclusion, more support needs to be provided to African American women in the workplace through organizational support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)