Black women face the same struggles as White women; however, they have to face issues of diversity on top of inequality. The purpose of this study was to explore work-related stressors that affect the lives of Black women and how they cope with them. Using an exploratory design with grounded-theory methods, five basic themes emerged that identify when racism and sexism are experienced as stressors for African American women in the workplace. The themes are: (1) being hired or promoted in the workplace, (2) defending one’s race and lack of mentorship, (3) shifting or code switching to overcome barriers to employment, (4) coping with racism and discrimination, and (5) being isolated and/or excluded. The results from this study indicate African American women use emotion- and problem-focused coping responses to manage stress (e.g., racism and sexism) in the workplace. The article concludes with a discussion of practice implications of these findings.

The purpose of this study was to explore how Black women cope with the impact of daily stressors in their lives. To understand stress and coping among Black women, it was necessary to explore the interlocking effects of race, gender, and social class on these stressors and their effects on the women’s ability to cope with the consequences for their health and emotional and psychological well-being. An exploratory design with grounded theory methods was used to develop a midrange theory about stress and coping among Black women on the basis of the women’s experience with sociocultural factors, namely, race, gender, and social class. The implications for practice of the findings underscore the continuing significance of racism and sexism in the everyday lives of Black women.

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