The Strong Black Woman Schema, Identity Shifting, and Mental Health among Black Women in Professional Spaces

Naomi Hall-Byers, Winston-Salem State University*
Danielle Dickens, Spelman College

Black women often face the ‘double jeopardy’ of being both Black and a woman and may be more prone to experiencing gendered racism in professional and academic settings.¹ The combination of racial and gender-related stressors experienced by Black women in the workplace, increases the allostatic load (i.e., wear and tear on the body) which can facilitate mental and physical health problems,² and influence their ability to advance professionally. Black women remain underrepresented in leadership positions and due to power structures, many are victims of daily microaggressions, and/or workplace bullying. There is an urgent need to change the established workplace cultural landscape through intentional, action-oriented strategies by those in positions of power and influence.³ To simply acknowledge barriers Black women encounter in these spaces is not sufficient. There must be personal, institutional, and systemic commitment to recruiting, retaining, and supporting Black women to thrive. 

One strategy used by Black women for psychological resistance against oppressive environ­ments is referred to as the Strong Black Woman (SBW) schema. SBW was used to depict Black women as being emotionally and intellectually deficient, but physically able to endure abuse by oppressors during slavery.⁴ A shift has taken place in that SBW is now often characterized by emotional restraint (or self-silencing), independence, and caretaking of others—at the expense of oneself. Although Black women have a complicated and paradoxical relationship with the SBW schema, it has endured for generations and has evolved into a trea­sured identity for many.⁵ Due to historical and current injustices and generational trauma experienced by Black women, there is a certain level of pride that comes with being perceived as strong, resilient, and unbreakable. Those who believe that the definition of Black womanhood is to persevere through whatever adversity arises, no matter the price, could be at risk for negating their mental and physical health.

Our work examines the relationship between endorsing the SBW schema and its influence on coping mechanisms, such as identity shifting, and mental health symptoms among Black women navigating academia and professional environments. Identity shifting refers to the uncon­scious or conscious process of altering one’s speech (e.g., code-switching), behav­iors, appearance, and perspectives to navigate oppressive contexts and/or to enhance social and professional relationships.⁶ While there are benefits to identity shifting such as enhancing cultural compe­tence and social and professional relationships, the phenom­enon of identity shifting can also be taxing for Black women’s physical and mental health.

There has been a growing number of stories on social media sites, including professional sites,  from Black women describing their experiences with toxic academic and professional workplace culture. Social media posts detailing the gendered racism, tokenism, bullying, harassment, and burnout experienced by Black women in these spaces, call attention to the need for Black women to prioritize their holistic health over material success and/or status. Our work supports the need to re-imagine the SBW persona. Instead of Black women putting the weight of the world on their shoulders, even in the face of adversity, let us imagine that identifying as an SBW means knowing when and how to say “no.” It includes taking time off to re-group when necessary, protecting one’s time and energy, and making one’s health THE priority.

*This was Dr. Hall-Byers’ affiliated institution when the research was conducted. She is now affiliated with the U.S. National Science Foundation.

References

1. Dickens, D., Jones, M., & Hall, N. (2020). Being a token Black female faculty member in physics: Exploring research on gendered racism, identity shifting as a coping strategy, and inclusivity in physics. The Physics Teacher, 58(5), 335-337.
2. Allen, A. M., Wang, Y., Chae, D. H., Price, M. M., Powell, W., Steed, T. C., ... & Woods?Giscombe, C. L. (2019). Racial discrimination, the superwoman schema, and allostatic load: exploring an integrative stress?coping model among African American women. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1457(1), 104-127.
3. Hall, N.M., & Dickens, D. (2020). Celebrating and supporting Black women in physics: creating a culture of inclusivity. APS Physics Gazette Newsletter, https://aps.org/programs/women/reports/gazette/index.cfm.
4. Collins P. (2000). Black feminist thought: knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. New York, NY: Routledge.
5. Davis, S. M., & Jones, M. K. (2021). Black women at war: A comprehensive framework for research on the strong Black woman. Women's Studies in Communication, 44(3), 301-322.
6. Dickens, D. D., & Chavez, E. L. (2018). Navigating the workplace: The costs and benefits of shifting identities at work among early career US Black women. Sex Roles, 78(11), 760-774.