The New “Female Hysteria”: A Phenomenological Approach to Understanding the Effects of the Imposter Phenomena in African American Women in Educational Leadership: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the intersectionality of imposter phenomenon, misogyny, and racism and the impacts on African American women in educational leadership roles at secondary schools. The theory guiding this study is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as it applies to the importance of belongingness for Black women in these roles. The central research question for this study is: What perspectives have shaped the views of Black women in educational leadership roles? The proposed methodology utilizes a combination of journals, interviews, and focus groups to gather information from participants. This study used the transcendental phenomenological approach to understand the experiences of 13 African American women in primary and secondary educational leadership roles in Central Virginia. The setting for the study was virtual, and all interviews and focus groups utilized Microsoft Teams and secure email to share information. Data collection methods included interviews, focus groups, and journal prompts. The findings suggest that the environment a person is in impacts their sense of belonging and self-worth.