Navigating Gendered Racial Microaggressions: Exploring the Mediating and Moderating Pathways to Workplace Well-Being for Black Women

Background: The complex dynamics of racism and sexism in the workplace, particularly gendered racial microaggressions (GRMs), remain a critical concern for Black women. GRMs are subtle yet pervasive forms of discrimination that target individuals based on intersecting gendered and racial identities. These experiences can profoundly affect well-being and professional outcomes, yet the mechanisms through which GRMs influence workplace functioning remain understudied. Purpose: This study addresses gaps in the literature by examining the mediating roles of sociopolitical participation and identity shifting in the relationships between GRMs, workplace stress, and work engagement among Black women. It also explores whether gendered racial identity centrality (GRI) and perceived organizational justice (POJ) moderate these processes. Methods: Participants were recruited via Prolific, an online platform offering access to diverse samples of working Black women across various industries and professional roles. Model 1 tested mediation effects of sociopolitical participation and identity shifting on workplace stress and work engagement. Model 2 tested moderated mediation, introducing GRI and POJ as moderators. Analyses were conducted using Mplus with model fit indices and parameter estimates guiding interpretation. Results: Identity shifting significantly mediated the relationship between GRMs and workplace stress but did not mediate work engagement. Sociopolitical participation significantly mediated GRMs and work engagement but not workplace stress. GRI and POJ did not significantly moderate these paths. However, POJ was directly associated with lower workplace stress and higher work engagement, suggesting the importance of organizational fairness. Conclusion: This study enhances understanding of how GRMs impact workplace outcomes for Black women by identifying identity shifting as a stress-inducing mechanism and sociopolitical participation as a pathway to engagement. Although moderation hypotheses were unsupported, POJ emerged as a protective factor. Findings underscore the need for culturally responsive and equity-centered workplace practices that validate racial identity, reduce identity suppression, and encourage authentic sociopolitical expression.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Counseling Psychology

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Njoh, Journa

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Allan, Blake

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Carmack, Chakema
• Arbona, Consuelo
• Alexander, Jennifer

• Counseling psychology

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/20624

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/20624