Chapter 9: Women of Color Leading Schools of Color: From a Tale to a Priority

Gender is only one of several identities individuals hold (e.g., ethnicity, racial preference, sexuality) and these identities interconnect to influence each person’s experiences (Rusch, 2004). Intersectionality of gender and ethnicity has also been demonstrated to create dynamics that impact leadership such as constraining stereotypes, social role expectations, and power and status differentials associated with these social identities (Chin, 2013; Horsford & Tillman, 2012). In addition, gender bias is still more significantly considered than race (Reed, 2012). For women of color, their dualistic roles of being both women and minority continue to create role incongruity (Davis & Maldonado, 2015). Consequently, women of color function in roles set by social expectations. This leads to additional obstacles than their male counterparts (Genao & Wamba, 2016).