The Exclusion of Black Women from National Leadership Positions in the United States: Taxation with Limited Representation

Amadu Jacky Kaba

Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/sm.2012.22017                

Abstract

This article claims that the United States is progressing well when examined through the racial and cul- tural diversity of its young people aged 29 and younger with earned doctorates. The data show that fe- males in general and Asian and Black females in particular are earning very high proportions of doctorate degrees among individuals aged 29 and younger in 2009 and 2008. For example, of the 117,000 doctorate degrees (Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.) held by individuals in the US aged 25 - 29 in 2009, females accounted for 65,000 (55.6%), with Black females and Asian females accounting for 11.1% (13,000) and 10.3% (12,000) respectively. In 2008, of the 14,000 doctorate degrees (Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.) held by individuals aged 18 - 24 in the US, females accounted for 11,000 (78.6%), and Black females and Asian females each accounted for 4000 (28.6%). The article points out, however, that while high levels of educational attainment is shown to result in Asian, White and Hispanic women being elected or appointed to the United States Sen- ate, Governor’s Office and the United States Supreme Court, Black American women continue to be ex- cluded from these three national leadership positions—Taxation Without Representation.

Keywords

United States; Black Women; Gains in Academic Degrees; National Leadership Exclusion; US Senate; Governor’s Office; US Supreme Court

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Flow of Funds Accounts of the United States. (2008). Board of governors of the federal reserve system. Washington DC, 5 June 2008, 20551.
[2]	Grieco, E. M. (2010). Race and Hispanic origin of the foreign-born population in the United States: 2007. Washington DC: United States Census Bureau, US Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration. ACS-11.
[3]	Harris-Perry, M. V. (2011). Sister citizen: Shame, stereotypes, and black women in America. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
[4]	Jeffries, J. L., & Wavro, M. A. (2011). “Can African Americans win high-profile statewide offices in the South? A study in Southern in- hospitality. Journal of African American Studies, 15, 415-432. doi:10.1007/s12111-010-9152-z
[5]	Jones, C., & Shorter-Gooden, K. (2003). Shifting: The double life of black women in America. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
[6]	Kaba, A. J. (2005). Progress of African Americans in higher education attainment: The widening gender gap and its current and future implications. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 13, 1-34.
[7]	Kaba, A. J. (2008). Race, gender and progress: Are black American women the new model minority? Journal of African American Stu- dies, 12, 309-335.
[8]	Kaba, A. J., & Ward, D. E. (2009). African Americans and US politics: The gradual progress of black women in political representation. The Review of Black Political Economy, 36, 29-50. doi:10.1007/s12114-009-9036-4
[9]	Kaba, A. J. (2010a). Educational attainment, population increase and the progress of African Americans. Journal of Pan African Studies, 3, 106-127.
[10]	Kaba, A. J. (2010b). Michelle Obama and the black female diaspora: The most influential black woman in history? African Renaissance, 7, 1-59.
[11]	Kaba, A. J. (2011a). Black American females as geniuses. Journal of African American Studies, 15, 120-124. doi:10.1007/s12111-010-9134-1
[12]	Kaba, A. J. (2011b). African American Women voters: Review article. The Review of Black Political Economy, 38, 183-203. doi:10.1007/s12114-011-9092-4
[13]	Kaba, A. J. (2011c). Explaining the causes of the black-white wealth gap in the United States. Sociology Mind, 1, 138-143. doi:10.4236/sm.2011.13017
[14]	Kaba, A. J. (2012a). Talented tenth: An analysis of the 2011 root ma- gazine’s 100 most influential young black Americans. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 2, 1-31.
[15]	Kaba, A. J. (2012b). African Americans in the US Women’s National Basketball Association, 2006: From the NCAA to the WNBA. Sociology Mind, 2, 98-108.
[16]	Kim, N. Y. (2007). A return to more blatant class and “race” bias in US immigration policy,” Du Bois Review, 4, 469-477.
[17]	Patten, E., & Parker, K. (2011). Women in the US military: Growing share, distinctive profile. Pew Social & Demographic Trends. Pew Research Center. URL (last checked 24 February2011) http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/files/2011/12/women-in-the-military.pdf
[18]	Rogers, J. A. (1944). Sex and Race (Vol. 3, 59th ed.). St. Petersburg: Helga M. Rogers.
[19]	Washington, E. (2006). How black candidates affect voter turnout. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 121, 973-998.
[20]	Wycliff, D. “A New Day,” Commonweal, 136, 39.
[21]	Yang, P. (2010). A theory of Asian immigration to the United States. Journal of Asian American Studies, 13, 1-34. doi:10.1353/jaas.0.0061
[22]	Zinn, H. (2003). A people’s history of the United States: 1492 - Present. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.