Senior Executive Service (SES) represents critical government positions, and leaders are gathered here. They are designed to make sure that the executive management’s actions meet the nation’s needs (Senior Executive Service, n.d.). However, there is a part of the population whose interests may be missed due to insufficient diversity in Government. Despite the fact that African-American women are a serious political force, they are underrepresented in politics.
Some theories allow to review the problem and look for its causes from various perspectives. According to Critical Race Theory, racism is embedded in existing institutions and systems, thereby creating inequality (George, 2021). This argument makes the African-American women’s underrepresentation a racist manifestation. The lack of women of color can also be explained through the Social Role Theory, following which men and women have specific roles according to their capabilities. Women are traditionally seen as weaker, and suitable for the position of mother and housewife. According to Schneider and Bos (2019), even when considering the race factor’s influence, gender has a determining role. That is, between an African-American man and a woman, society will expect a man in politics. At the intersection of these directions is the Black Feminism Theory, which claims that racism and patriarchy have created unequal conditions and contribute to social injustice (Almeida Junco & Guillard Limonta, 2020). Thus, African-American women are underrepresented in Government due to prejudice and social pressure.
Mentoring could be an effective tool to help African-American women achieve leadership positions in SES. It allows to understand essential aspects of duties, mentee receives advice and develops in the necessary direction for work. However, mentoring may not be effective enough for marginalized group representatives if all forms of oppression are not considered (Brown & Montoya, 2020). In practice, only women can help African-American women achieve high results by mentoring because they understand their experience at work and beyond. Since there are few women of color in Government, there are no conditions for creating productive mentoring relationships for this group. Thus, at the moment, the social conditions studied by Critical Race Theory, Social Role Theory, and Black Feminism Theory do not allow effective use of mentoring to promote African-American women in leadership positions in Government.
References
Almeida Junco, Y., & Guillard Limonta, N. R. (2020). The importance of Black feminism and the theory of intersectionality in analysing the position of afro descendants. International Review of Psychiatry, 32(4), 327–333. Web.
Brown, N. E., & Montoya, C. (2020). Intersectional mentorship: A model for empowerment and transformation. PS: Political Science & Politics, 53(4), 784-787. Web.
George, J. (2021). A lesson on Critical Race Theory. Human Rights Magazine (46)2, Web.
Schneider, M. C., & Bos, A. L. (2019). The application of Social Role Theory to the study of gender in politics. Political Psychology, 40, 173-213. Web.
Senior Executive Service. (n.d.). United States Office of Personnel Management. Web.