Beyond Expectations: Gender Role Complexities Among Two African American Populations

• In Event: 16.056 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.056-16 - Issues of Race and Gender: African American Students

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to complicate Gender Role Conflict theory as it relates to African Americans who break the roles expected of them by society. Using the cases of five homeless African American fathers providing care for their children and six African American female faculty members in academic medicine, our paper reveals the barriers society and family members create for our participants. We believe that making such barriers visible is a critical first step to eliminating unnecessary stressors and creating supportive communities for minoritized individuals. In closing, we share the specific strategies we’ve employed and recommended at multiple institutions to make visible these challenges, as well as to address institutional culture to remove barriers to successful acculturation.

Authors

• Jamilah M. Hackworth, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

• Georgia A Turner, Louisville Office of Public Housing - HUD

• Brandelyn L. Tosolt, Northern Kentucky University