Through the Lens of Race: Black and White Women's Perceptions of Womanhood

The intersection of race and gender may create unique experiences for Black and White women in terms of work, family, domestic roles, and interpersonal relationships. Dissimilar gender-role norms may foster different perceptions of gender for these two groups of women. In the current study, we exami...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology of women quarterly 2008-12, Vol.32 (4), p.454-468
Main Authors: Settles, Isis H., Pratt-Hyatt, Jennifer S., Buchanan, NiCole T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceptance
African Americans
Attitude Measures
Black people
Blacks
Data Analysis
Employed Women
Equal Opportunities (Jobs)
Ethnicity
Females
Feminism
Feminist psychology
Focus Groups
Friendship
Gender
Gender Bias
Gender differences
Gender Discrimination
Gender studies
Grounded Theory
Interpersonal relations
Interpersonal Relationship
Norms
Perceptions
Psychological factors
Psychology
Race
Racial Differences
Sex discrimination
Sex Role
Sex roles
Social Attitudes
Social Influences
Social psychology
Socialization
Stereotypes
White people
Whites
Womanhood
Women
Womens studies
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Summary:The intersection of race and gender may create unique experiences for Black and White women in terms of work, family, domestic roles, and interpersonal relationships. Dissimilar gender-role norms may foster different perceptions of gender for these two groups of women. In the current study, we examined similarities and differences in Black and White women's perceptions of their gender using qualitative focus group methodology and grounded theory data analysis. The results identified five themes that were common to Black and White women: Gender-Based Mistreatment, Perceived Advantage, Friendships and Community, Caretaking, and Work and Family Options. One additional theme, Inner Strength, emerged only for Black women. Although many of the broad perceptions of womanhood were similar for Black and White women, analysis of the content within each theme highlighted important differences. We discuss the results in terms of how they may reflect socio-historical factors, gender discrimination, stereotypes, and gender-role norms.
ISSN:0361-6843
1471-6402
DOI:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00458.x