Voices of ancestry: Intersectional paths taken by indigenous women in organizational management

Abstract

Background: Since the moment colonizers arrived in Brazil, indigenous women have been the target of discrimination and violence in various forms, mainly due to gender and ethnic prejudices. Thus, even after more than 500 years of fighting for a place of acceptance, efforts to preserve their origins and guarantee the subsistence of their people, these women still do not occupy the spaces of social and organizational prominence that they deserve.

Purpose: This article aims to understand the intersectional paths indigenous women take in organizational management. Regarding "intersectional paths," this study recognizes how the overlapping identities of gender and ethnicity can uniquely shape the experiences of indigenous women, influencing their journeys from academic formation to reaching leadership positions.

Method: It is a qualitative study that uses oral reporting. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews with the participation of four indigenous managers active in the Amazon region.

Results: The accounts obtained highlighted the violence caused by the interaction of the social markers of gender and ethnicity in the personal and professional lives of the interviewees, from leaving their communities to study in cities during their stay at the university to the occupation of managerial positions.

Conclusions: This research contributes to intersectional theory by addressing gender and ethnicity in a context little explored in the literature - indigenous women in leadership positions - and advances the understanding of diversity in organisations. It also contributes to reflection on the need to develop diversity and inclusion policies and to improve organisational management practices.