Women and women of color in leadership: Complexity, identity, and intersectionality.
Abstract
This article describes the challenges that women and women of color face in their quest to achieve and perform in leadership roles in work settings. We discuss the barriers that women encounter and specifically address the dimensions of gender and race and their impact on leadership. We identify the factors associated with gender evaluations of leaders and the stereotypes and other challenges faced by White women and women of color. We use ideas concerning identity and the intersection of multiple identities to understand the way in which gender mediates and shapes the experience of women in the workplace. We conclude with suggestions for research and theory development that may more fully capture the complex experience of women who serve as leaders.
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Other social identities can be devalued in leadership contexts.
“Although the focus of this article is on gender, there are other social identities that can be devalued in leadership contexts (Sanchez-Hucles & Davis, 2010;Walton, Murphy, & Ryan, 2015).”
From Managing to clear the air: Stereotype threat, women, and leadership (2016) · cites this paper as Sanchez-Hucles & Davis, 2010
Cites
Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment.
Brewer, R. M., & Collins, P. H. (1992) · Contemporary Sociology · doi:10.2307/2074808 · Cited by 19,445 · see citing works
Crenshaw, K. (2018) · Feminist Legal Theory · doi:10.4324/9780429500480-5 · Cited by 9,510 · see citing works
Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of African Americans.
Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.69.5.797 · Cited by 8,181 · see citing works
Intersectionality and research in psychology
Cole, E. R. (2009) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/a0014564 · Cited by 2,722 · see citing works
Gender: An Intersectionality Perspective
Shields, S. A. (2008) · Sex Roles · doi:10.1007/s11199-008-9501-8 · Cited by 1,509 · see citing works
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Managing to clear the air: Stereotype threat, women, and leadership
Hoyt, C. L., & Murphy, S. E. (2016) · The Leadership Quarterly · doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2015.11.002 · Cited by 454 · see citing works
Mohammed, Z. (2025) · Genealogy · doi:10.3390/genealogy9040127
“This group of literature focuses on a specific racial categorization such as “whiteness” (Cave and Dihal 2020; David and Forbes 2016; Alcoff 2015; Guess 2006; Bhabha 1998; Bonnett 1998; Delgado 1995; Vera et al. 1995; Ignatiev 1997; Kincheloe 1999) or “blackness” (Bird et al. 2021; Carter and Peters 2016; Brock 2020;…”
- Authors
- Sanchez-Hucles, J. V., & Davis, D. D.
- Affiliations
- Old Dominion University (US)
- Venue
- American Psychologist
- Published
- 2010
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 171-181
- ISSN
- 0003-066X (ISSN-L)
- 1935-990X
- OpenAlex
- W2023802496
- Semantic Scholar
- a71c4f930d128dbbfea6f82119ca05c9b5b2bd2c
- Cited by
- 425
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 42 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 26.36
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Psychologist (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Diversity and Inequality
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Career Development and Diversity
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Keywords
- women in leadership, women of color, intersectionality, gender stereotypes, racial identity, gender identity, workplace leadership, barriers to leadership, multiple identities
- MeSH terms
- Career Mobility, Female, Humans, Leadership, Prejudice, Self Concept, Social Identification, Social Perception, Stereotyping, Population Groups
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