Gendered racism and depression among Black women: Examining the roles of social support and identity.

Author(s):  
Martinque K. Jones ◽  
Seanna Leath ◽  
Isis H. Settles ◽  
Dominique Doty ◽  
Kathryn Conner

2021 ◽  
pp. 263207702110492
Author(s):  
Stephanie I. V. Cazeau-Bandoo ◽  
Ivy K. Ho

The sexual health of Black women has been compromised by racial and discriminatory healthcare practices from slavery through current medical and institutional barriers to care. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that identifies the link between stigma, gendered racism, and historical underpinnings that contribute to ineffective healthcare utilization of Black women diagnosed with the chronic sexually transmitted infection (STI), genital herpes. This paper also draws attention to different social factors that act as barriers to effective healthcare utilization and influence the health outcomes of Black women beyond individual factors. Using a socio-ecological framework, this paper reviews multi-level (i.e., individual, interpersonal, community, and institutional/policy) influences of the experience of genital herpes among Black women. Recommendations are provided to improve the ability of health systems and medical providers to deliver appropriate services to diverse populations, thereby improving healthcare utilization and reducing disparities for Black women.



2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Veronica A. Newton

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This current study examined how Black undergraduate women experience gendered racism at a historically, predominately white university in the South. With a lack of studies on Black women's college experiences, I took a critical intersectional approach to interrogate the role of racism and patriarchy together by utilizing a Critical Race Feminism perspective. With the approach I was able to explore and examine the lived experiences of gendered racism, gendered racial microaggressions in white-maled spaces on campus, Black-maled spaces on campus, as well as white women's spaces on campus. Using a critical race feminism theoretical, conceptual and methodological framework, I interviewed 25 Black undergraduate women who attended a state-flagship university in the Mid-Southern region of the US. I also conducted ethnographic fieldwork by shadowing 5-8 different participants from June of 2015 to January 2017 on campus and off campus. The findings of this study show that Black women received gendered racial microaggressions from white men, Black men, white women students and professors on campus. Black women also receive these microaggressions in white-maled spaces and Black-maled spaces. Furthermore, Black women experience challenges that prevents their acquirement of social capital based on the way their raced and gendered bodies are read. Lastly, Black women have no spaces on campus that serve both their raced and gendered identity together and participate in emotional labor that white students and Black men students do not experience.



Author(s):  
Ashley Huderson ◽  
Brandy Huderson

Despite the growing number of women and minorities in STEM occupations, underrepresentation of Black women in the STEM workforce persists as they hold only 2.4% and 2% of science and engineering jobs, respectively, though they make up 6.4% of the total population. Despite these numbers, the African American women who are in STEM fields have been shown to excel at exceptional rates. The purpose of this chapter is to examine existing data, strategies, and models that address social determinants of professional STEM attainment for Black women. This chapter will explore the importance of intersectional identities and how this influences Black women's success in STEM fields in addition to understanding how counterpaces function to enhance persistence and advance the success of women of color in STEM fields. Understanding the non-academic factors that affect minority women's persistence in STEM allows for a broader conversation around implications for findings for academic and social support programs.



2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 74-74
Author(s):  
Crystal Chapman Lambert ◽  
Chastity McDavid ◽  
Tammi F. Thomas ◽  
Kiko King ◽  
Andres Azuero ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Our primary objective was to understand the relationship between incident or recent stressful events and adherence to HIV care in the context of other person, environment, and HIV-specific stressors in a sample of Black women living with HIV (WLWH). METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Thirty in-depth interviews were conducted with Black women living with HIV who receive care at an academic HIV primary care clinic in the Southern region of the United States to elicit stressful events influencing adherence to HIV care. Semi-structured interview guides were used to facilitate discussion regarding stressful events and adherence to HIV care. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were independently coded using a theme-based approach by two experienced coders, findings were compared, and discrepancies were resolved by discussion. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Participants described frequently experiencing incident stressful events including death or serious illness of a close friend or family member, and relationship, financial, and employment difficulties. Furthermore, participants reported experiencing traumatic events such as sexual and physical abuse during childhood and adolescents. While experiencing traumatic events such as sexual and physical abuse during childhood and adolescence may be distressing, these events did not influence adherence to HIV care. However, incident stressful events as defined above did influence adherence to HIV care for some participants, but not for others. For participants who reported that stressful events did not influence adherence to HIV care, factors such as personal motivation, access to social support, and adaptive coping strategies facilitated their engagement in care. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Experiencing stressful events, incident or traumatic, is common among Black WLWH and have the potential to negatively influence adherence to HIV care. Thus, Interventions aimed at identifying and addressing stress, social support, and coping are essential to improve adherence to HIV care behaviors.



2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 583-606
Author(s):  
Kamesha Spates ◽  
Na’Tasha Evans ◽  
Tierra Akilah James ◽  
Karen Martinez

Historically, Black women have experienced multiple adversities due to gendered racism. While research demonstrates that gendered racism is associated with negative physical and mental health implications, little attention has been given to how being Black and female shape Black women’s experiences in multiple contexts. This study provided an opportunity for Black women to describe their lived experiences of gendered racism in the United States. We conducted in-depth interviews with Black women ( N = 22) between the ages of 18 and 69 years. We applied a thematic analysis approach to data analysis. Three themes were identified that underscored how these Black women navigated gendered racism: (a) navigating societal expectations of being Black and female, (b) navigating relationships (or lack thereof), and (c) navigating lack of resources and limited opportunities. Findings from this study provide an increased understanding of the unique challenges that Black women face because of their subordinated statuses in the United States. These findings may influence programs and assessments for Black women’s wellness.



2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (s1) ◽  
pp. 107-107
Author(s):  
Maha Baalbaki

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Black women experience discrimination that targets their intersecting gender and ethnic identities, termed gendered racism (Essed, 1991). The gendered racism Black women experience has been linked to negative mental health outcomes (Thomas etal., 2008). The ‘strong Black woman’ is a cultural symbol of strength depicting the Black woman as unwavered by hardships, such as gendered racism (Shorter-Gooden & Washington, 1996). However, recent research suggests that belief in the strong Black woman cultural construct is associated with negative mental health outcomes (Watson & Hunter, 2015). The goals of the current study were to (1) replicate previous findings suggesting that experiences with gendered racism is positively correlated with psychological distress, (2) replicate previous findings suggesting that belief in the strong Black woman construct is positively correlated with psychological distress, and (3) explore how experiences with gendered racism and belief in the strong Black woman construct might interact to predict distress. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A national sample of 112 Black women completed an online survey via MTurk. Survey measures included the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale, Strong Black Woman Cultural Construct Scale, and Psychological Distress Scale. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Pearson correlation revealed that experiences with gendered racism was positively correlated with psychological distress, r = 0.23, p = .02. Pearson correlation also revealed that belief in the strong Black woman cultural construct was positively correlated with psychological distress, r = 0.39, p < .001. Multiple linear regression revealed an interaction between experiences with gendered racism and belief in the strong Black woman construct (β = -0.18, p = .04) that predicted psychological distress, R2 = .20, F(3,108) = 8.63, p < .01. Namely, for those with high belief in the strong Black woman construct, experiences with gendered racism did not predict distress, β = -0.31, t = -0.29, p = .78. However, for those with low belief in the construct, experiences with gendered racism positively predicted distress, β = -2.57, t = 2.31, p = .02. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The results underscore the harmful effects of gendered racism and gendered racial stereotypes on Black women’s mental health outcomes. Striving to appear as the strong Black woman is not likely to help Black women overcome daily hardships. In fact, belief in the strong Black woman construct is likely to add extra difficulties.



2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anahvia Taiyib Moody ◽  
Jioni A. Lewis

We investigated the relations between gendered racial microaggressions (i.e., subtle gendered racism), gendered racial socialization, and traumatic stress symptoms among Black women. We hypothesized that gendered racial microaggressions would be significantly associated with traumatic stress symptoms and that gendered racial socialization would moderate the relations between gendered racial microaggressions and traumatic stress symptoms. Participants were 226 Black women from across the United States who completed an online survey. Results from a hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that a greater frequency of gendered racial microaggressions was significantly associated with greater traumatic stress symptoms; internalized gendered racial oppression moderated the relations between gendered racial microaggressions and traumatic stress symptoms. The results of this study can inform future research on Black women’s experiences of gendered racism and the role of gendered racial socialization in their lives. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ’s website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index



2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen C. Bronder ◽  
Suzette L. Speight ◽  
Karen M. Witherspoon ◽  
Anita J. Thomas


2019 ◽  
pp. 108-123
Author(s):  
Marlon M. Bailey ◽  
Matt Richardson

Given the ways that the exercise of racism and the ideology of black inferiority have depended upon entrenched images of black hypersexuality, it may be unsurprising that representations of intracommunal sexual fetishization and performance obscure the presence of racism. Nonetheless, such representations can also lead us to misinterpret how racial subordination is inculcated, negotiated, and challenged within the black community. The many responses to Karrine Steffans, her book Confessions of a Video Vixen, and the new cultural figure she represents (the video vixen, model, ‘jump off’, ‘groupie’, or ‘ho’) reveal the multiple investments in the representation of black women, and by extension, black men and their sexualities. Blake argues that although dominant discourses would lay blame for the circulation of misogynist images at the doorstep of the black community, understanding the formation of such a figure requires a far more complex reading. In addition to addressing the contemporary exercise of gendered racism, intracommunal discussions and debates about black sexuality (inspired by the video vixen) show that black popular culture can create new discursive spaces. Sometimes it also exposes intracommunal negotiations over the effects of racial subordination, the contemporary meanings of racial community, and the politics of black hypersexuality.



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