Negotiating professional and personal selves : the experiences of black academic women in South African Higher Education Institutions : a conceptual reflection

Abstract

This article explores the intricate landscape of higher education more specifically, South African higher education. It mainly focuses on the experiences of Black female academics since the end of apartheid in 1994. Despite the number of women, entering academia having increased, significant challenges remain, such as barriers to career advancement and the influence of intersecting identities like gender, race, and motherhood. The under-representation of women in leadership roles underscore systemic issues, rooted in stereotypes and unconscious biases that undermine women's competence, character and, authority. The paper employs Nancy Fraser's three-dimensional theory of justice and Crenshaw's intersectionality framework to investigate these dynamics, emphasising the need for economic redistribution, cultural recognition, and political representation. It discusses how, institutional policies often marginalise women's voices in decision-making processes, contributing to a crisis of gender inequality within academic echelons. The findings indicate that while initiatives have been employed to promote gender equality, the unique challenges faced by Black women in academia remain largely unattended. This study aims to magnify the voices of these women, encouraging a deeper understanding of their experiences and the structural barriers they encounter in their professional journeys.