Intersectionality,Emotional Literacy,and the Lived Experience of Infertility Among African American Women

Abstract

Infertility remains a deeply personal yet socially constructed experience that is often shaped by cultural expectations surrounding gender, race, and reproduction. Despite growing research on infertility, the experiences of African American women remain underrepresented in both infertility and work–life balance scholarship. This qualitative phenomenological study examines how African American women navigate infertility while managing professional identities and societal expectations. Guided by the frameworks of intersectionality and emotional literacy, in-depth interviews were conducted with 11 African American women who experienced infertility while employed. The findings reveal three central themes: negative self-image and diminished self-worth, the motherhood mandate, and emotional distress in loved ones. Participants described navigating infertility within cultural narratives that simultaneously presume hyperfertility and mandate motherhood, resulting in complex emotional labor and identity negotiation. The findings further demonstrate how emotional literacy functions as a mechanism through which participants interpret and respond to these experiences while maintaining personal and professional roles. By centering the voices of African American women, this study expands infertility scholarship and offers implications for Human Resource Development by highlighting the need for more inclusive workplace policies, leadership awareness, and support systems for employees navigating infertility. The study contributes to Human Resource Development scholarship by illustrating how emotional literacy operates as a mechanism through which African American women interpret and navigate infertility within intersecting racial, cultural, and professional contexts.