There's the Black Woman Thing, and There's the Age Thing

Professional Black Women on the Downsides of 'Black Don't Crack' and Strategies for Confronting Ageism at Work

Bibliographic Data

ID2363751
AuthorsAlicia Smith-Tran (0000-0001-7745-7410, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, USA, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume66
Issue3
Pages419-433
Publication date2023-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0731-1214 • E-ISSN: 1533-8673
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/07311214221139441
OpenAlexW4311348468
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited60

This article problematizes the concept of 'Black Don't Crack' and challenges the universal desirability of youthfulness. This study is driven by two research questions: (1) How does the perceived youthfulness of professional Black workers shape their subjective experience of workplace interactions? and (2) What strategies do Black workers use to assert their expertise and legitimacy when confronted with prejudicial attitudes and interactions based on perceptions about their age? Drawing on 18 semi-structured interviews with professional Black women who are perceived as younger than they actually are, this article describes Black women's experiences with ageism and their specific strategies for combating age bias in the workplace. The focus of this study diverges from most ageism studies focused on bias against older adults. Rather, this article contributes to our understanding of how gendered racism and ageism intersect when Black women's chronological ages differ from how they are perceived

Black women · Legitimacy · Perception · Political science · Racism · Sociology · Gender Studies · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics