Gender and race biases embedded into the construction of knowledge have made the leadership of prominent Black women invisible. As a social phenomenon, leadership has often been defined in male terms and linked to elitist positions, and operationalized in the public sphere. This has led to the establishment of leadership theories as rarely generalizable to women and minorities. As a result of that, sociological perspectives emphasize the function of Black male leaders. When it comes to the positions of Senior Executive Service professionals in the federal government, recent findings showed that the area is highly segregated by race, with only around 10% of Black executives (Senior Executives Association, 2020). Black women are not perceived as serving a part of the dominant power structure and, therefore, are regarded as irrelevant. Studying this issue from the Black feminist theory perspective is essential as the approach centers around the premise that Black women’s liberation is critical because of the need to provide autonomy, ensure human dignity, and help support their inherent value.
The barriers that women of color experience in achieving elective office are many, with Black women and individuals of color are underrepresented in the federal government. In the US, most officials in government are men, while most women officials are white, which points to the ongoing trend of the lack of diversity (Dittmar, 2020). AAW women are disadvantaged in such a context by their intersections of race, gender, and class inequalities with implications for all aspects of governmental participation, including pursuing an elective office. Moreover, as indicated by Dittmar (2020) and gender research literature in general, women candidates for statewide executive positions face overall skepticism from their appointers regarding their credentials, and citizens tend to be more comfortable with women holding rather legislative than executive positions. When it comes to statewide offices, it is expected that women seek to have more ‘feminine’ roles in the office, such as state education, rather than ‘masculine’ positions such as attorney general.
As suggested by research literature, there is a wide range of gender-related experiences that Black women encounter working toward senior leadership positions in the federal government (Mayberry, 2019; Nash, 2019). However, Black feminists have suggested that the available research lacks adequate representation and exploration of the personalized perspectives and experiences of Black women. Besides, Black feminist theory is concerned with countering the misinformation and stereotypes about the myths around race and gender differences (Nash, 2019). Black women’s experiences with life are different from those of Black men and white women, considering their history, culture, and sociopolitical factors concerned with the effects of global racial oppression (Curtis, 2017; Mayberry, 2019). Besides, even when Black women achieve professional advancement in senior leadership positions and acquire measures of economic self-sufficiency, “it is the social realm that racist and gendered stereotypes are continually used as ways of defining Black women’s identity and behavior” (Curtis, 2017, p. 95). Thus, Black feminist theory underlines how society still identifies Black women’s capabilities to be influential senior leaders with the present racial and gender barriers (Mayberry, 2018).
Very few African American Women occupy senior executive service positions in the federal government because the influence of Black feminism remains insufficient, even though women of color represent potent agents of change. According to the Senior Executives Association (2020) findings, the non-SES part of the federal workforce is 18% Black, but the SES workers are less than 11% Black. These findings suggest that systemic racism exists in the federal workforce, and there are several reasons for them. Systemic racism stems from institutional racism and is associated with an array of anti-Black practices. The unjustly received political power of whites and the division of resources along racial lines have enabled racist ideologies intended to create and maintain a rationalized white privilege in power. As a result, racial discrimination occurs in the core of individuals embedded in the federal workforce, thus influencing race-based decisions in the workforce. For African American women who have been bypassed and overlooked for SES and those who have taken strong positions against oppression and discrimination, it is crucial to be included in the federal workforce (Senior Executives Association, 2020). SES ranks will require AAW who are vocal and share their experiences and points of view on the mission to create an improved country and serve the general public the way they deserve and expect to be served from the public sector.
Therefore, the disparity in the representation of Black women in executive positions in federal governments is not bad luck as both structural and cultural barriers consistently limit the opportunities of women of color to attain roles as public leaders. For instance, Black feminist theory suggests that negative stereotypes of African American women, the majority of which can be tracked to the racist depictions of the population during slavery, create caricatures of women’s leadership (McLewis, 2021). Moreover, the negative stereotypes are more likely to influence Black women in contrast to their white counterparts (Nash, 2018).
Even though the double standards and gender-related stereotypes apply to all women trying to attain leadership positions in the federal government, persistent stereotypes of the so-called ‘angry Black women’ have an adverse influence on the unconscious bias regarding how a leader should look (Mayberry, 2018). Instead, women of color are often seen in the roles of caregivers, which is a significantly racialized stereotype creating significant barriers that the group has to overcome. Such stereotypes present challenges to Americans’ understanding of Black women as citizens and leaders, so it is complicated for Black feminism to push the agenda of equality of opportunity to help women of color pursue positions of executive leaders in the federal government.
To conclude, Senior Executive Service positions in federal government remain limited to only a minored proportion of AAW. To facilitate a change in this area with the help of Black feminism, it is vital to recognize and counteract the stereotypes and how racial and gender bias may impact one’s ideas of Black women’s leadership to create more opportunities for women of color to lead in executive positions the federal government. The misalignment between the overrepresentation of Black women as potential candidates for SES roles underrepresentation in the office is indicative of the trend. However, the experiences of Black women are unique and valuable and thus can help enrich SES positions in the federal government when serving the public. While African American women could be valuable and influential contributors to governmental efficiency, Black feminism alone is not powerful enough to guarantee equality of opportunity, with very few African American women occupying Senior Executive Services leadership positions in the federal government.
References
Curtis, S. (2017). Black women’s intersectional complexities: The impact on leadership. Management in Education, 31(2), 94-102. Web.
Dittmar, K. (2020). Advancing women’s political power in the next century. Boston University Law Review, 100, 1665-1687.
Jackson, D., Coombs, D., Trevisan, F., Lilleker, D., & Thornsen, R. (2020). US election analysis 2020: Media, voters and the campaign. Centre for Comparative Politics & Media Research.
Mayberry, K. (2018). African American women leaders, intersectionality, and organizations. Walden University Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. Web.
McLewis, C. (2021). The limits of choice: A black feminist critique of college “choice” theories and research. In L. Perna (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (pp. 1-57). Springer.
Nash, J. (2019). Black feminism reimagined: After intersectionality. Duke University Press.
Senior Executives Association. (2020). SEA statement on systemic racism in the federal workforce. Web.