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This research explored the intersection of being Black, a woman, and wearing natural hair in a leadership role through the lens of intersectionality and phenomenology. This qualitative phenomenological research study used the theoretical framework of intersectionality and in-depth interviews to explore racial hair discrimination, current employment practices, and legislation that influence leadership advancement opportunities of 10 Black women working in corporate America. The participants interviewed provided a glimpse of the daunting measures Black women must employ in the workplace to navigate the discrimination practices experienced when wearing their natural hair. The findings in this study support the proposition that racial discrimination against wearing natural hair negatively affects the availability of professional opportunities to Black women as well as their career trajectories and overall self-esteem. The hope for the future is that federal legislation such as the Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act will ensure that Black women may be able to have one less employment barrier to overcome.
Keywords: intersectionality, racial hair discrimination, CROWN Act, natural hair, workforce diversity
INTRODUCTION
Increased workforce diversity brings new challenges for organizations and Black women. Black women account for a generous part of the workforce (Johnson, 2019), accounting for 60.5% of women working in America in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020). Even though Black women are a significant population of the workforce, Black women represent merely 1.3% of senior leadership roles, compared to the 29% occupied by White women in S&P 500 companies (Smith et al., 2019). Working in corporate America presents increased unique racial discrimination experiences for Black women (Smith et al., 2019). Employment racial discrimination is an ongoing problem that disproportionately affects Black women more than any other demographic of employees in the workforce (Jones, 2020). In 2019, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported that 33% (23,976) of all discrimination claims were based on racial identity or racial characteristics (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2019).
Hair is a characteristic that all employees have and must manipulate for work. In the workplace, grooming policies are in place prohibiting and criminalizing natural hair styles which leads to racial discrimination. Racial hair discrimination became a problem for organizations with the decision to manage employees' dress and...