Abstract Book of the 6th International Conference on Gender Studies and Sexuality
Year: 2025
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Black women in administration councils: An intersectional perspective
Machado, Érica, CasaNova, Silvia
ABSTRACT:
On society and into corporations, it is relevant to integrate issues of race, social class and gender to broaden the understanding of unconscious prejudices and biases. This is relevant for all hierarchical levels, including boards of directors. In the context of boards of directors, inequality is evident. In 2023, B3 (Brazilian Stock Exchange) survey showed that 88.9 per cent of companies had no black or brown people on their boards. The participation of blacks in senior management was even lower, with 98.2 per cent of companies not having a mandatory seat for blacks on their boards. To understand the barriers and facilitators for black women to climb the career ladder and occupy the position of board member, a qualitative study was carried out using semi-structured interviews with two members of a program – Conselheira 101 – created to tackle inequality and encourage the presence of black women on boards. The interviews were conducted in Portuguese and transcribed for analysis. The results of the qualitative research were presented using Escrevivência, an approach proposed by Conceição Evaristo, which emphasizes the collective experience and cultural resistance of black women. A theoretical reference was the theory of intersectionality, coined in the academic world by Kimberlé Crenshaw, which analyses the interaction of different social identities and their consequences in terms of power and oppression. The results point to intersecting stories permeated by situations of prejudice, lack of opportunities, overload and overqualification, while at the same time factors such education and family support were driving forces behind them.
Keywords: black feminism, interseccionality, board of directors, racism, inclusion