The Burdens of Underrepresentation and Professional Identity: A Qualitative Study of Black Women in Academic Nursing

Black women remain markedly underrepresented in academic nursing-particularly in tenure-track and leadership roles-and their contributions are often overshadowed by persistent inequities in advancement, recognition, and compensation, compounded by the emotional and cultural labor required to navigate predominantly White institutions. Guided by Critical Race Theory and intersectionality, this narrative inquiry explored how 32 Black women faculty and academic leaders experience systemic underrepresentation and construct professional identity. Data were subjected to reflexive thematic analysis, yielding six interlocking themes: the burdens of representation; navigating undervaluation in academia; confronting stereotypes, exclusion, and racialized labor; institutional isolation and structural neglect; emotional exhaustion and the cost of survival; and identity negotiation and resilience as survival work. Participants described countering structural inequities through internal resistance, mentoring, and advocacy. These findings reveal that professional identity construction among Black women in academic nursing is inseparable from entrenched racism and sexism and underscore the urgent need for equity-centered leadership and mentorship to disrupt exclusion and support Black faculty.