Atravessamentos de gênero, raça e classe social nas trajetórias de líderes: estudos na pandemia

Abstract

In the 21st century, women's presence in the labor market has increased significantly; however, equality of opportunities in leadership positions remains unachieved, considering the intersection of race and social class. This thesis aims to analyze and discuss how leadership positions are influenced by gender, race, and social class, with visible and invisible barriers hindering women's professional trajectories. To this end, we adopted a qualitative approach with data collection at pandemic, comprising three successive studies based on interviews with leaders. The first study explored the trajectories of 12 women leaders (7 white, 2 mixed-race, and 3 black), highlighting the barriers they face in advancing their careers. The categorical content analysis identified four categories: characteristics of 21st-century leadership, encouragement of leadership, professional trajectory, and racial and gender discrimination. The second study addressed the challenges of balancing work and family for leader parents (n=25) in home-office settings. The data were analyzed using the Iramuteq software, through similarity analysis, which generated a word tree for fathers and another for mothers. The results indicated that, in the professional life axis, there are similarities in the challenges faced by leaders of both sexes, but mother leaders reported gender and racial discrimination in their professional trajectories. The third study discussed similarities and differences in the discourses of women leaders, considering intersections of race and hierarchical level. Twelve leaders were interviewed (5 black and mixed-race and 7 white), all with children. The Descending Hierarchical Classification (DHC) analysis was performed, resulting in one dendrogram for black women and another for white women. The DHC for mixed-race and black women identified two axes: family and work. White women leaders presented three axes: discrimination, family and pandemic, and career as a manager. The axes of both groups unfolded into word classes showing a greater burden for mixed-race and black leaders regarding domestic and family tasks. Additionally, while white leaders perceive gender discrimination in the workplace, mixed-race and black leaders also associate race as a marker of such discrimination. The results will be discussed considering the literature in the field, considering intersectionality in the debate on inequalities in professional trajectories. We conclude that, for black and mixed-race leaders of both sexes, racial discrimination is strongly perceived, and structural racism remains present in organizations, regardless of new inclusion and diversity programs. Leadership promotion decisions still consider gender, race, and social class as important markers that prevent professionals from advancing to higher positions. Domestic tasks and family care influence the personal and professional spheres of mother leaders and father leaders. For women leaders, educational investments are fundamental tools to overcome barriers such as the glass ceiling and the labyrinth of glass. Leaders expect more recognition, appreciation and promote sorority to diversity. The study's limitations include the lack of participation from leaders in the Northern region and the non-longitudinal nature of the research. The studies contribute to demonstrating how leaders at various hierarchical levels were able to balance work-family, domestic tasks, and remote team management during the Covid-19 pandemic.