TDNet Discover

A quantitative, non-experimental correlational research design is employed to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted recruitment strategies in increasing the representation of African American female postgraduates in corporate America. The importance of this study is grounded in the persistent underrepresentation of African American women with postgraduate degrees in corporate leadership despite high levels of educational attainment. The study utilizes secondary data derived from national datasets, including the Pew Research Center American Trends Panel, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission workforce data, and the National Center for Education Statistics, with an analytic sample consisting of employed adults holding bachelor’s or higher degrees within the United States workforce. Instrumentation includes survey-based measures capturing employment status, mentorship access, workplace climate perceptions, and leadership roles. Data collection involves the extraction and preparation of publicly available, de-identified datasets. Statistical analysis procedures include descriptive statistics to summarize workforce characteristics, correlation analysis to examine relationships among variables, and multiple regression analysis to assess predictive relationships between targeted recruitment proxies and representation outcomes. Results indicate that while certain workplace factors are associated with employment outcomes, targeted recruitment proxies do not consistently correspond with leadership advancement. Conclusions suggest that recruitment-focused diversity initiatives may improve entry into the workforce but do not fully address advancement into leadership roles. Recommendations for future research emphasize the need for longitudinal designs, industry-specific analyses, and the incorporation of intersectional frameworks to further examine pathways to leadership advancement.