Leadership Development of Women of Color in Occupational Therapy: A Qualitative Intersectional Analysis

Importance: Women of color hold social positions and group member identification in occupational therapy that differ from those of White majority women. Their experience with leadership acquisition warrants exploration of the complex social processes that shape their professional trajectory. Objective: To understand which intersecting patterns of social identity categories have shaped the leadership development of women of color leaders in occupational therapy in the United States and how they do so. Design: This study followed a qualitative multilevel intersectional approach. Setting: Multiregional interviews were conducted by means of virtual technology. Participants: Eight English-speaking women, self-identified as a leader and a woman of color living in the United States, were recruited by means of purposive, snowball sampling of women of color in leadership positions in occupational therapy. Outcomes and Measures: An eight-step multilevel intersectional data analysis of participants' narratives was used to identify emergent intersecting patterns of social identity categories in their leadership development. Results: Participants' predominant intersecting patterns converged into four themes: (1) early leadership development does not happen without access to opportunities, (2) sponsorship and mentorship have implications beyond one's leadership development, (3) being seen is essential for leadership development, and (4) persevering is a constant state of struggle. Conclusions and Relevance: Leadership development for women of color in occupational therapy thrives at the intersection of scholarship, mentorship, and authentic inclusion. What This Article Adds: The study expands leadership inquiry in occupational therapy to include the perspectives of women of color and to better understand the patterns of social identity categories in leadership achievement. Positionality Statement: The term women of color is a political designation coined in the 1970s by women in the minority to define solidarity with other oppressed women (Zavella, 2022). The term women of color is used to achieve a unified political voice to seek gender equality for women who feel unsupported by White feminist ideology (Zavella, 2022). Moreover, it describes multicultural and multiethnic solidarity among women who sit outside the structures of power and privilege and experience life at the intersection of gender and race. Thus, women of color include Black, Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islander, mixed-race women, and Native American women, including American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian women (McKinsey & Company, 2022).