An Exploration of the Impostor Phenomenon and Its Impact on Black Women Administrators in Higher Education in the South
Abstract
Black women have been a part of higher education for more than a century, yet minimal research and literature on their experiences exists (Littlefield, 2005). This is in part because hiring practices, social issues, and underrepresentation of Black women in higher education are rarely examined (Becks-Moody, 2004). However, studies exist in large numbers concerning students and faculty and underrepresentation and the obstacles that exists to get in the classroom as either a student or instructor. As Black women students work toward graduate degrees, there is a need for Black women administrators, so students can see their own identity reflected in the leaders (Meuth, 2009; Ortega et al, 2013). Therefore, this study shifts the focus to specific challenges that limit upward mobility and highlights some of the obstacles and conflicts that arise when Black women pursue leadership positions at institutions of higher education.
Additionally, this study highlights historical educational events and factors such as the negative self-talk that may contribute to the imposter phenomenon (Jarrett, 2010). The impostor phenomenon occurs when Black women who have earned degrees and academic honors feel no internal success. They allow the workplace and other personal commitments to cloud their judgment as to their ability, which further pushes Black women into an outsider position. The study focuses on Black women in entry-level, middle-level, and senior-level leadership positions at colleges and universities in the southern part of the United States. The theoretical framework that informs this study is Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 2000). Interviews will be conducted with Black women administrators in the South. During the open-ended, semi-structured interviews, participants will be asked to describe their experiences in higher education. The study will highlight the experiences of the participants in order to educate higher education administrators, faculty, and staff about the perceptions of Black women in the higher education workplace.
An Exploration of the Impostor Phenomenon and Its Impact on Black Women Administrators in Higher Education in the South
Nessmith-Lane Atrium
Black women have been a part of higher education for more than a century, yet minimal research and literature on their experiences exists (Littlefield, 2005). This is in part because hiring practices, social issues, and underrepresentation of Black women in higher education are rarely examined (Becks-Moody, 2004). However, studies exist in large numbers concerning students and faculty and underrepresentation and the obstacles that exists to get in the classroom as either a student or instructor. As Black women students work toward graduate degrees, there is a need for Black women administrators, so students can see their own identity reflected in the leaders (Meuth, 2009; Ortega et al, 2013). Therefore, this study shifts the focus to specific challenges that limit upward mobility and highlights some of the obstacles and conflicts that arise when Black women pursue leadership positions at institutions of higher education.
Additionally, this study highlights historical educational events and factors such as the negative self-talk that may contribute to the imposter phenomenon (Jarrett, 2010). The impostor phenomenon occurs when Black women who have earned degrees and academic honors feel no internal success. They allow the workplace and other personal commitments to cloud their judgment as to their ability, which further pushes Black women into an outsider position. The study focuses on Black women in entry-level, middle-level, and senior-level leadership positions at colleges and universities in the southern part of the United States. The theoretical framework that informs this study is Black Feminist Thought (Collins, 2000). Interviews will be conducted with Black women administrators in the South. During the open-ended, semi-structured interviews, participants will be asked to describe their experiences in higher education. The study will highlight the experiences of the participants in order to educate higher education administrators, faculty, and staff about the perceptions of Black women in the higher education workplace.
