Narratives written by black nurses in the face of racism and sexism

Abstract

This article analyzes how black nurses identify the daily experience of racism and sexism in the workplace and what mechanisms they suggest for dealing with it. In addition, we dedicate ourselves to describe the perceptions of black women about the consequences that these oppressions can generate in their lives. The research is the result of a master’s dissertation, with semi-structured interviews conducted for data collection and Grounded Data Theory (FDT) for analysis. Four nurses participated in the research, based on the following inclusion criteria: black women, nurses working in hospitals in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and older than 18 years old. Data analysis culminated in the construction of five categories and ten subcategories. The articulation of the categories and subcategories allowed the emergence of the central category: finding that racism and sexism affect the health of black nurses and recognizing that education is the main tool for confronting these inequities. The results and discussions presented point out that black nurses understand that the intersection of racism and sexism directly affects their lives and that education is essential to promote the confrontation and transformation necessary for a change in society.