Women of Color in Early Childhood Leadership: Barriers to Upward Mobility & the Role of Social Capital
Apr 2 @ 12:00 pm LSC 710
Our nation’s children and families are increasingly representative of a broad range of diverse backgrounds. As such, the needs of those served in early childhood systems are complex, and issues of equity are prevalent. Entry-level and teacher roles within the early childhood workforce are also extremely racially and ethnically diverse, however there is an underrepresentation of African-American and Latina women in executive leadership positions in large, direct-service, policy and systems organizations (Whitebook, Kipnis, Sakai, & Austin, 2012). This Doctoral Research Project had two objectives. First, the aim of the research was to gain an understanding of the career, educational, and life barriers that have created obstacles on the leadership journey for African-American and Latina women who currently hold executive positions in early childhood education. The second aim of the research was to evaluate what aspects of social capital may have supported the career growth for those same women on their respective leadership journeys. Survey and interview data revealed the key barriers impacting this sample of leaders, as well the aspects of social capital most influential in supporting career growth; both of which were rooted in the constructs of race, psychosocial impact, and psychosocial supports.