522: Beyond the Limits: The Strength of Afro-Brazilian Women Entrepreneurs Undertaking in America (15582)

Entrepreneurship attracts a diverse array of individuals, forming varied groups in terms of gender, ethnic and social backgrounds, as well as being geographically distributed across various regions and countries (Subramani, 2020). This multiplicity of audiences and profiles identifies a large entrepreneurial population, but one that is socially underrepresented, characterizing them as Minoritized Groups. The theory of intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989), in turn, seeks to understand how different forms of oppression and discrimination intersect in the lives of Afro descendent female entrepreneurs. Against this backdrop, opportunities arise to investigate: How do Afro-Brazilian female entrepreneurs residing in a foreign country face challenges and obstacles due to being both women and black, and what are their overcoming behaviors in dealing with adversity? The research leads to an investigation into systemic discrimination factors and explores behaviors of overcoming obstacles, including self-care strategies. The research is qualitative and exploratory, with data acquired through interviews with ten Afro-Brazilian entrepreneurs operating in Chicago/IL. The data was recorded, transcribed, and organized with the support of Atlas TI software, generating three categories: intersectionality, challenges/obstacles and overcoming behaviors analyzed through content analysis technique (Bardin, 2011; Flores, 1994). These categories were grounded in intersectionality theory. The results indicate both similarities and differences in the challenges faced by the entrepreneurs, highlighting the resilience of these women in coping with social and emotional impacts and corresponding overcoming behaviors. The intersectionality theory drove us to add ethnicity to gender, race and social status and led us to conclude that being an immigrant imposes more challenges than the fact of being black and woman, demonstrating the strength these entrepreneurs exhibit in navigating these intersecting identities.

view paper (if available)