Behind the Mask of Black Women Social Workers
Workplace Integration, Code-Switching, and the Silent Struggles
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21619081 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Collina D Cooke (0000-0003-0847-3438, corresponding author), Julia F Hastings (0000-0002-2262-2279), Cecilia M Hastings, Nelia M Quezada-Horne (0000-0002-7474-3435) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 61 |
| Issue | sup1 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-13 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Work Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1043-7797 • E-ISSN: 2163-5811 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10437797.2025.2473382 |
| OpenAlex | W4408568414 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 39 |
Black women social workers (BWSWs) face institutional barriers that affect their perception of themselves as professionals. The scientific literature is unclear about how BWSWs navigate their work environments while grappling with self-doubt, feelings of fraudulence, invisibility, and questioning their accomplishments. To fill the gap in knowledge, 17 BWSWs were interviewed across the United States. Using hermeneutic phenomenology, a qualitative content analysis was conducted to examine work experiences. Findings suggest that BWSWs experienced workplace environments where they needed to code switch. Code-switching was caused by unsolicited microaggressions, leading to imposter syndrome, invisibility, and distress. Workplace integration represents one solution to improve BWSWs’ experiences. Future research should expand on understanding the need for workplace integration for BWSWs into organizational cultures
Black women · Economic growth · Economics · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Gender Studies · Homelessness and Social Issues · Labor Movements and Unions · Psychology · Social Work Education and Practice · Social Work
The imposter phenomenon in high achieving women
Making the Invisible Visible
Intersectionality
Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design
Covid-19’s Social Ecological Impacts on Health and Human Services Worker Well-being
Black women social workers
Black women and Covid-19
Black Feminist Thought
It is Tough Being a Black Woman
Black Women Talk About Workplace Stress and How They Cope
Charting Ourselves
Underneath the Mask of the Strong Black Woman Schema
Navigating the Workplace
Social Workers during Covid-19
Self-Preservation in the Workplace
The wear and tear of racism
Keeping Ourselves Sane
Naturalistic inquiry
Mapping the Margins
Feminist Theory
Psychological Distress among Black and White Americans
Learning from the Outsider Within
Hermeneutic Phenomenology and Phenomenology
Gendered Racism in the Lives of Black Women
Strong Black Woman Schema and Psychological Distress
Multiple Resistance Strategies
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |