Neither Black Enough nor White Enough: An Intersectional Perspective on the Lived Experiences of Colored Women Leaders in Postapartheid South Africa

Trudy Rhoda Forbay and Peliwe Pelisa Mnguni

Gender, Work and Organization, 2026, vol. 33, issue 3, 858-869

Abstract: This article seeks to disrupt the undertheorization of Colored women's leadership experiences in gender transformation research. We refer specifically to women who self‐identify as Colored South African and consider themselves to be part of the South African Colored community. Although in some contexts, the term Colored is often regarded as derogatory, in South Africa, Colored is a specific race category that was created by the apartheid government and continues to be used by the democratic government. The constructivist grounded theory (CGT) study uses intersectionality as a conceptual framework. Twenty Colored women leaders were sampled using purposive and snowball sampling, and five Colored male leaders were sampled through theoretical sampling. Data were collected using semi‐structured interviews, personal narratives, and a focus group. Data analysis followed the CGT approach of initial, focused, and theoretical coding. The overall findings of the study show that the fluidity and contested nature of the Colored identity are key factors shaping the lived experiences of Colored women leaders. Although most participants embraced the identity with pride and considered it to be a cultural rather than a racial construct, some embraced the identity with ambivalence. Ambivalence is derived from negative stereotyping of Colored people in South Africa. While some participants rejected the racialization and politicization of the identity, some oscillated between accepting and rejecting the Colored identity. The in‐betweenness of Coloredness left some participants feeling neither Black enough to benefit from transformation initiatives nor White enough to enjoy privileges associated with Whiteness. A sense of invisibility and voicelessness dominated their leadership experiences. Feeling like the “hidden figures” of contemporary South African organizations, and without a “clansman” at the table, many participants found themselves working extra hard in pursuit of elusive recognition. This study contributes to intersectional leadership scholarship in South Africa. It stands to inform inclusive and contextually grounded gender transformation practice.

Date: 2026
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