The black woman in Psychology undergraduation. What are the barriers faced?

Abstract

The present study is the result of a research that sought to verify whether the association between gender and race can interfere in the Psychology undergraduate of black women. We sought to find elements for reflection on possible barriers faced in their training in Psychology. That research had, as a data collection instrument, a questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. At first, an online questionnaire answered by 115 women was made available on the internet. For the second stage of the collection, ten women, who made themselves available at the first moment of the research, were randomly selected to participate in the qualitative semi-structured interview. The questionnaire data were analyzed quantitatively, with the survey of the most prevalent responses. Then, semi-structured interviews were reread to identify emerging themes in the reports. Each of them was highlighted for the accomplishment of the triangulation with the quantitative results and the theoretical base, having comparison, also, with previous studies. This article points to a greater need for discussion on the topic, including race relations, the need for greater representation of black authors and teachers in the institutions that offer the Psychology course and the need for a collective effort to identify and eliminate barriers existing in the formation of black women in Psychology.