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Introduction
In spite of the fact that African American women are traditionally discussed as the underrepresented population in colleges and universities of the United States, nowadays, it is possible to observe a positive tendency in this sphere. Thus, by 2010, more than 65 percent of African American women had obtained a bachelor’s degree while referring to the percentage of all African American students in US educational institutions (Bartman, 2015). However, these rates cannot be compared to the number of white female students in community colleges and other universities (Lige, Peteet, & Brown, 2016). Furthermore, researchers pay attention to the fact that women of color usually experience more stress and pressure than other female students (Bartman, 2015; Dortch, 2016). Although today African American women receive many opportunities to get a degree, there are still some challenges and barriers that can be faced by women of color on their path to higher education, and much attention should be paid to discussing options to overcome these obstacles.
Challenges and Barriers That African American Women Face While Obtaining Education
Despite the fact that all students usually experience difficulties while studying in colleges and universities without reference to their ethnicity or gender, this situation is more critical for African American women. According to the recent research in the field, in addition to usual academic pressures, women of color also suffer from a kind of racial and gender discrimination (Acosta, Duggins, Moore, Adams, & Johnson, 2016; Bartman, 2015). The problem is in the fact that African American women are representatives of the ‘Black culture’ which differs from cultures developed in predominantly white institutions (Szymanski & Lewis, 2016). A different situation can be observed only in community colleges where people of color often represent a large proportion of students (Bartman, 2015). Thus, when women of color focus on obtaining a degree, they can experience problems associated with a sense of community, their cultural identity, the impossibility to share cultural values, the lack of support from other students and educators, and the feeling of isolation (Bartman, 2015; Dortch, 2016). As a result, risks of burnout and problems with self-esteem for African American students are high.
However, women of color can discuss the gender question as even more problematic while analyzing their challenges associated with obtaining higher education. Szymanski and Lewis (2016) note that African American women can feel as outsiders not only in predominantly white institutions but also in community colleges because of their gender. African American women often suffer from a ‘Black woman’ stereotype that prevents them from being perceived as smart individuals who have a right to obtain a degree (Banerjee, Rowley, & Johnson, 2015; Bartman, 2015). As a result of sexism in colleges, women of color often experience oppression, stress, and a ‘survivor guilt’ because they are inclined to diminish their efforts associated with obtaining higher education (Lige et al., 2016; Szymanski & Lewis, 2016). According to Lige et al. (2016), African American students face many barriers to their education because they are expected to prove their abilities not only to educators but also to other students. This situation is also typical for women who suffer from the necessity of overcoming stereotypes associated not only with their race but also with their gender.
Options Available for Overcoming Challenges and Barriers
The researchers who are interested in investigating African American women’s experiences in institutions and educators pay much attention to determining options and strategies for overcoming the identified barriers. According to Bartman (2015), the focus should be on reforming the faculty in colleges and universities in order to overcome the problem of underrepresentation of African American educators in institutions. The expected outcomes are associated with the appearance of role models and mentors, as well as with the provision of support for women of color. Another approach is based on the idea to provide African American students with the cultural and community support to focus on their identity and the feeling of belonging. Following Szymanski and Lewis (2016), it is important to focus on creating ‘sister circles’ for African American women as interventions oriented to addressing cases of gendered racism. From this point, it is important to guarantee mentorship and create supportive environments for women of color in educational institutions to decrease levels of pressure they experience while obtaining higher education.
Furthermore, researchers also propose to focus on counseling for African American women. The number of women of color who focus on obtaining a degree in community colleges and other educational institutions tends to increase (Bartman, 2015). As a result, these female students should be provided with the cross-cultural and individual support to build effective relationships with peers and faculty and to cope with much pressure, the decreased self-esteem, and possible isolation (Szymanski & Lewis, 2016). According to Dortch (2016), the participation of women of color in group counseling is also important to meet psychological needs and achieve success in studying. Counseling is important to help women of color adapt to educational environments and develop their social networks while overcoming cases of racism and sexism.
Conclusion
In spite of the fact that the percentage of those African American women who have access to higher education have increased significantly, these females experience certain challenges and barriers while obtaining degrees. The problem is often in discrimination, racism, sexism, and isolation typical of educational environments in different types of colleges and universities. To address these challenges, researchers propose to develop mentorship and counseling programs to provide the required support for African American female students.
References
Acosta, M., Duggins, S., Moore, T. E., Adams, T., & Johnson, B. (2016). From whence cometh my help?: Exploring black doctoral student persistence. Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs, 2(1), 3-12.
Banerjee, M., Rowley, S. J., & Johnson, D. J. (2015). Community violence and racial socialization: Their influence on the psychosocial well-being of African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 41(4), 358-383.
Bartman, C. C. (2015). African American women in higher education: Issues and support strategies. College Student Affairs Leadership, 2(2), 1-7.
Dortch, D. (2016). The strength from within: A phenomenological study examining the academic self-efficacy of African American women in doctoral studies. The Journal of Negro Education, 85(3), 350-364.
Lige, Q. M., Peteet, B. J., & Brown, C. M. (2016). Racial identity, self-esteem, and the impostor phenomenon among African American college students. Journal of Black Psychology, 1(2), 1-13.
Szymanski, D. M., & Lewis, J. A. (2016). Gendered racism, coping, identity centrality, and African American college women’s psychological distress. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 40(2), 229-243.
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