‘I shouldn’t have to prove myself’: The experiences of Black women at Russell Group Universities

Abstract

The intersection between racism and sexism means that Black women are more vulnerable to oppression in various environments, including the university, where it could be enforced on both an institutional and personal level. However, while there is some research on the topic, there has not been much that explores this within the British higher education system. Focusing particularly on Russell Group universities (RGUs), due to their low intake of Black students, an interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted to explore the experiences of Black women at these universities. Six Black female undergraduate students from various RGUs took part in semi-structured interviews and the following themes were established: Motivations (strong family influence, cultural pressure), identity development (questioning their identity, changes in self-presentation and the ‘Strong Black Woman’) and reacting to prejudice (deciphering microaggressions, responses to discrimination and ‘ambassador’ for Black women). From this, suggestions for future research include exploration of other intersections and expansion on the resulting themes, as well as a call for multicultural counselling and transparency in the handling of discrimination reports for universities.