The Influence of Gendered Racial Identity Centrality on Gendered Racism and Identity Shifting Among Black Undergraduate Women at a HBCU

Abstract

Black women often experience gendered racism, the intersection of racism and sexism. A coping strategy used to offset the negative consequences associated with gendered racism is known as identity shifting, the process of altering how one talks (code switching) and acts. However, scholars have theorized that gendered racial identity centrality, the extent to which both one’s race and gender identities are important to one’s self-image, serves as a buffer against the impacts of discrimination. Participants (N = 170) completed an online survey to examine the role of gendered racial identity centrality between gendered racism and identity shifting among Black college women attending a historically Black college. Results from our online study revealed that, separately, greater levels of gendered racism and lower gendered racial identity centrality significantly predicted identity shifting; however, gendered racial identity centrality did not moderate the relationship between gendered racism and identity shifting. The findings may be important for understanding how experiences of gendered racism affect coping strategies among Black women.