Browsing by Subject "Black women"
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Item The Black Religious Woman’s Corporate Survival: An Independent Study of Race, Gender, Religion, and the Superwoman Schema(2020-10) Dubrovensky, ToniBlack religious women have a unique position within corporate America in comparison to their counterparts. As minorities, they face many significant challenges, such as financial setbacks, underrepresentation, microaggressions, limited advocacy, and limited professional resources, which contribute to stunted or delayed professional growth. One of the primary areas of stunted or delayed growth is leadership. Yet, the drive to survive and succeed still exists and oftentimes manifests itself in the Superwoman Schema. While the Superwoman Schema can be applicable to all Black women, Black religious women are more likely to exhibit traits of the Superwoman Schema in a corporate setting due to their religious values. Thus, the focus of this research is the position and fight for survival of Black religious women in corporate America. This includes defining and identifying how the Superwoman Schema can impact how Black religious women navigate corporate spaces. Using Black feminist theory and secondary research, this literature-based research aims to centralize the modern-day Black religious woman’s corporate experience and what it looks like amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing racial tensions. A 2012 study conducted by The Washington Post has revealed that Black women tend to be more religious than their racial and gender counterparts (Labbé-DeBose, 2012), which makes them more susceptible to isolation from company norms. Their susceptibility can hinder professional development and leadership opportunities. Although the Superwoman Schema is motivated by a sense of duty, it can provide Black religious women with a chance to channel defense mechanisms in a space where they are outnumbered and limited by fostering an attitude of independence.Item Black Women as the Critical Link Between Traditional Institutions and Minoritized Communities(2024-12) Murphy, Stacia N.; Scheurich, James Joseph; Hyatt, Susan B.; Steensland, Brian; Haberski, Raymond J.Poverty plagues many U.S. urban communities, particularly Black and brown populations. Gaps in wealth accumulation continue to widen between whites and Blacks, and neighborhoods are increasingly segregated by race and income with Black and brown populations more frequently living in concentrated poverty. Unfortunately, these factors combine to negatively influence other quality of life outcomes such as economic mobility, food security, health disparities and medical costs, infant and maternal health, life spans, education, discriminatory policing practices, and environmental health issues, factors that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, development continues to play an integral role in the way that urban cities attempt to solve their problems. In Indianapolis, the primary practitioners of urban development are housed within several key intuitions, and ultimately, typically held by white men or women, who make economic decisions that shape the lives of Indianapolis residents. Unfortunately, these institutions are often disconnected from populations at the margins and, thus, community engagement is the mechanism through which institutions attempt to connect with these communities. Consequently, it is common to see individuals who look like the populations that institutions want to serve in these positions. These individuals can be thought of as bridges between these communities and the institutions in which they work. Utilizing Black Feminist Thought (BFT) and Critical Race Theory (CRT), this study explores the lived experiences, knowledges, and practices associated with the role of bridge between institutions and community with a focus solely on Black women in these roles. Through textual analysis of transcribed interviews based in grounded theory with some mix of deductive and inductive coding, this study will help us better understand local perspectives about community engagement specifically and urban development more generally.Item Challenges Experienced by Black Women with Breast Cancer During Active Treatment: Relationship to Treatment Adherence(Springer Nature, 2023) Bigatti, Silvia M.; Weathers, Tess; Hayes, Lisa; Daggy, Joanne; Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public HealthBackground: Although rates of death from breast cancer have declined in the USA for both Black and White women since 1990, mortality rates for Black women remain strikingly higher - 40% higher compared to White women (American Cancer Society 1). The barriers and challenges that may be triggering unfavorable treatment-related outcomes and diminished treatment adherence among Black women are not well understood. Methods: We recruited 25 Black women with breast cancer who were to receive surgery and chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Through weekly electronic surveys, we assessed types and severity of challenges across various life domains. Because the participants rarely missed treatments or appointments, we examined the impact of severity of weekly challenges on thoughts of skipping treatment or appointment with their cancer care team using a mixed-effects location scale model. Results: Both a higher average severity of challenges and a higher deviation of severity reported across weeks were associated with increased thoughts on skipping treatment or appointment. The correlation between the random location and scale effects was positive; thus, those women that reported more thoughts on skipping a dose of medicine or appointment were also more unpredictable with respect to the severity of challenges reported. Conclusions: Black women with breast cancer are impacted by familial, social, work-related, and medical care factors, and these may in turn affect adherence to treatment. Providers are encouraged to actively screen and communicate with patients regarding life challenges and to build networks of support within the medical care team and social community that can help patients successfully complete treatment as planned.Item Critical Perspectives on Undergraduate Black Women(Taylor and Francis, 2017-01-12) Patton, Lori D.; Croom, Natasha N.; Croom, Natasha N.This project is one of reclamation, an attempt to explore and name Black undergraduate women’s experiences in higher education scholarship. As a Black queer trans person, Audre Lorde knew all too well the ways in which society defined Black women and the dangers associated with the confinement embedded in those definitions. Today, there are many fantasies about Black women in higher education that must be critically interrogated and examined to illuminate the complexities of our experiences across the higher education landscape. This project is one effort devoted to the interruption of epistemic violence enacted to silence, marginalize, and dehumanize Black women, particularly at the undergraduate level. Scholars and practitioners know little about the experiences of Black undergraduate women, and what is presumed to be known has in large part been constructed outside Black women’s communities, devoid of a critical lens, and treated as insignificant.Item Dress to Repress: Exploring How Dress Codes & Norms Harm Black Women in the Workplace(2024-06) Beecham, Jasmine Grace; Derricks, Veronica; Pietri, Evava S.; Johnson, India; Williams, Jane; Dumortier, JeromeDress codes were originally based on safety practices but have evolved into standards around perceived professionalism that uphold White masculine norms in the workplace. At the crossroads of White male standards is Black women’s hairstyling habits. While some Black women may engage in impression management and straighten their hair to fit in more, others may not feel authentic with straightened hair and could choose to deliberately express their identity through their hairstyle. Across two studies, I examine whether dress codes and norms targeting natural Black hairstyling habits lead to threats to authenticity and identity safety, in turn leading to negative organizational outcomes. A measure of one’s desire to deliberately express identity (general and Black) through hair was included to examine potential moderation. In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to one of three hypothetical dress code conditions – a restrictive dress code, inclusive dress code, or a control of general company values with no dress information. Hypotheses were almost fully supported in Study 1, with restrictive dress codes having the lowest identity safety and authenticity outcomes and inclusive having the highest. The contrast between restrictive vs inclusive dress codes and the subsequent authenticity outcome was moderated by both Hair Identity & Hair Expression Importance. Hair Expression Importance also moderated the relationship between restrictive vs inclusive dress codes and identity threat. Lower feelings of authenticity and identity safety both led to lower feelings of organizational attraction (for all moderator models). In Study 2, participants all saw the same inclusive dress code for the company and were then randomly assigned to one of three dress norms – unaccepting, accepting, or an unknown norms control. Unaccepting dress norms led to the lowest feelings of authenticity and identity safety and accepting dress norms led to the highest. Unlike in Study 1, neither hair scale moderated the relationship between the dress norms contrasts and authenticity. Unexpectedly, Hair Expression Importance partially moderated the relationship between dress norms and identity threat. Lower feelings of authenticity once again led to lower organizational attraction, but identity safety did not act as a significant predictor (for all moderator models).Item Examining recollections of Black women with breast cancer who participated in clinical trials: A grounded practical theory study of patient-provider communication(Elsevier, 2024-11-25) Ridley-Merriweather, Katherine E.; Okoruwa, Oseme Precious; Vogel, Katherine; Medicine, School of MedicineThe presence of strong barriers to research participation for Black women is indisputable. However, existing evidence supports the possibility of equal levels of participation among members of minoritized populations in past breast cancer (BC) clinical trials (CTs), demonstrating that while these participation barriers undoubtedly exist but are not insurmountable. This work aims to investigate patient-provider conversations to try to illuminate how providers can better engage Black women in communication that will positively influence their perceptions of breast cancer clinical trial participation. Fourteen women (N = 14) who self-identified as Black, Black American, or African American and who had previously or were currently involved in a BC CT participated in the grounded theory-guided study. These women were recruited through emails and social media platforms and interviewed regarding their communication with their medical providers and their pathway to CT participation. Findings revealed three primary categories: 1) participants reported the following provider types as most effective communicators: attentive, matter-of-fact, warm, or above-and beyond; 2) participants frequently received no information about CTs from their providers; and 3) cultural constructs including faith, word of mouth, and storytelling are important to the recruitment of these Black women to BC CTs. Our findings demonstrate the importance of healthcare providers adjusting their communication to meet one of the preferred provider archetypes of communication styles, understanding and incorporating cultural constructs in their communication, and providing information about BC CTs to Black women. Through improved patient-provider communication, healthcare providers may positively influence Black women's perceptions of and participation in BC CTs.Item Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and black race: does sex matter?(Springer, 2021) Eskander, Mariam F.; Li, Yaming; Bhattacharyya, Oindrila; Tsung, Allan; Oppong, Bridget A.; Hamad, Ahmad; Gatti-Mays, Margaret; Obeng-Gyasi, Samilia; Economics, School of Liberal ArtsPurpose: Black breast cancer patients have worse clinical outcomes than their White counterparts. There are few studies comparing clinical outcomes between Black male breast cancer (MBC) and female breast cancer (FBC) patients. The objective of this study is to examine differences in presentation, treatment, and mortality between Black MBC and FBC. Methods: The National Cancer Database was queried for all Black MBC and FBC patients, ages 18-90, with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2016. Hormone receptor positivity was defined as estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone-positive and HER 2-negative cancer. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were compared between MBC and FBC patients on bivariable analysis. After propensity score matching, overall survival was evaluated using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards. Results: Compared to FBC patients, MBC patients had higher rates of metastatic disease (stage 4, MBC 4.4% vs. FBC 2.6%, p < 0.001), larger tumors (tumor size < 2 cm, MBC 32.1 vs. FBC 49.1%, p < 0.001) and a higher percentage of poorly differentiated tumors (grade 3, MBC 28.5% vs. FBC 21.4%, p < 0.001). MBC patients had lower rates of hormone therapy (MBC 66.4% vs. FBC 80.7%, p < 0.001) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (MBC 5.8% vs. FBC 7.5%, p = 0.05) than FBC. On propensity score matched analysis, Black MBC patients had a higher overall mortality (p25 of 60 months vs. 74 months) compared to FBC patients (p = 0.0260). Conclusion: Among hormone receptor-positive Black MBC and FBC patients, there are sex-based disparities in stage, hormone therapy use and overall survival.Item “How is it going to help?”: Exploring Black breast cancer patients’ questions about biomarker testing to predict chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy(Elsevier, 2022-12-13) Head, Katharine J.; Hayes, Lisa R.; Miller, Nadia E.; Shakil, Safia; Bales, Casey L.; Schneider, Bryan P.; Communication Studies, School of Liberal ArtsObjective: Many Black breast cancer patients experience chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Our study assessed Black breast cancer patients' questions about a biomarker test that can predict likelihood of CIPN. Methods: Nineteen Black women who were previous/current breast cancer patients participated in focus groups. Researchers briefly explained CIPN and the biomarker test, and then participants were asked what questions they would have about the test and its use in treatment decisions. These participant-voiced questions composed the data for this study and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Participants' questions centered on six themes: reasons for the test, effect on timeline of breast cancer treatment, testing procedure, limits of test (including accuracy), research done to develop this test (including research participants), and concerns about personal information connected to the test (including DNA). Conclusion: This study provides an exploratory look at questions that Black breast cancer patients may have about toxicity biomarker testing use in breast cancer treatment decisions. Innovation: These findings provide a starting point for developing patient-centered approaches for integrating this precision medicine tool into clinical care. The methodological choice to generate participants' questions (rather than answers to a question) led to robust, actionable data.Item I Like What I See: Exploring the Role of Media Format on Benefits of Allyship Among Black Women(2019-08) Rhodes, Virginia L.; Pietri, Evava S.; Ashburn-Nardo, Leslie; Stockdale, Peggy S.Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) researchers and organizations recognize that a large gender and racial disparity exists in these fields. However, individuals with intersectional identities (i.e., Black women) have unique experiences of bias that preclude them from entering STEM careers and feeling a sense of belonging. As such, featuring an employee that demonstrates allyship for Black women on an organization’s website can be a useful identity-safe cue to signal that a Black woman’s identity will be valued and promote the recruitment of Black women in STEM organizations. Yet, research indicates that Black women who are high in stigma consciousness (i.e., sensitive to potential discrimination based on their identity) do not trust or believe a White woman ally presented in a written profile cares about helping Black women. The current study found that presenting an ally in a video profile mitigated these negative effects of stigma consciousness, and increased Black women’s anticipated belonging and trust in a fictional STEM organization via higher perceptions of allyship. Theoretical implications for research, practical implications for organizations, and future research avenues to explore are discussedItem Testing the Effect of Culturally Targeted, Normative Messaging on Black Women's Intentions to Participate in a Breast Cancer Clinical Trial(2023-07) Ridley-Merriweather, Katherine Ellen; Head, Katharine J.; Ashburn-Nardo, Leslie; Brann, Maria; Côté, Michele L.; Longtin, KristaDespite increasing disease incidence and remarkably high mortality rates, Black women are underrepresented in breast cancer (BC) clinical trials (CTs), likely limiting the generalizability of BC research findings to Black patients. Evidence demonstrates that the BC research community could exert more effort to ensure the recruitment of Black women into CTs. Although Black and white women have similar BC incidence rates, Black women are 40% more likely than all other races and ethnicities to die of the disease. Clear disparities exist even after controlling for socioeconomic inequalities. Black participation in CTs has been declining, which is particularly unfortunate given the increasing health problem of a lack of Black representation in medical research. Successfully swelling the percentages of Black women who participate in BC research is important and likely reliant on increasing group members’ motivations to surmount existing historical, cultural, and social barriers. Guided by normative and cultural theoretical frameworks, this study examined the effects of culturally informed messaging on Black women’s intention to participate in a CT focused on BC prevention. Six hundred thirty-five Black women aged 18 and over were recruited through Qualtrics to participate in an online, posttest only, control-group design message testing study using random assignment to condition (the control or one of four injunctive-, descriptive-, and/or legacy norm-focused messages). They answered survey questions designed to measure the messages’ effects on the women’s intention to participate in the CT. The study employed univariate and multivariate logistic regression and yielded statistically nonsignificant results; none of the four hypotheses were supported. However, the findings trended overall toward having higher probability of intending to perform the behavior (overall intention M = 3.35). All conditions had means higher than three (out of a five-point scale). A practical implication is that message content is affected by the medium through which it is delivered. Theoretical implications include the importance of overlaying cultural factors onto normative theories. Given that previous successful recruitment methods to this CT for this population were grounded in research practices involving face-to-face, interpersonal interactions, future research should consider employing a multi-level approach in testing these messages.