Paris M. Lampkins' Doctoral Dissertation

INVISIBLE HURDLES: EXPLORING THE BARRIERS TO EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP FOR BLACK WOMEN IN PREDOMINANTLY WHITE CORPORATE SPACES

Black women remain strikingly underrepresented in executive leadership roles, particularly within the highest ranks of corporate America. While progress has been made in increasing the number of women in leadership, the intersection of race and gender continues to present unique barriers for Black women. This study examines the experiences of Black women in predominantly White corporate environments, highlighting the systemic barriers they encounter and the strategies they use to advance. Guided by Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality, it explores how participants navigate corporate systems and the recommendations they propose to advance into executive leadership.

Participants included twenty-nine women executives from a range of industries who shared their perspectives through an online questionnaire, and four later joined a follow-up focus group. They described challenges such as constant evaluation, managing how they show up, uneven access to opportunity, navigating in real time, and the overwhelming sense of not being prepared for corporate America. Participants provided language and identified practices that fostered belonging, visibility, and preparedness.

Findings suggest that while there is support in place to mitigate discrimination in terms of race and gender when hiring, it still does not take into consideration the inconsistent institutional practices that impact Black women's experiences and advancement. The findings point to the need for organizations to revisit the policies, practices, and systems that shape who has access to advancement and who does not.