Intersectionality in Corporate Diversity Initiatives: Black Women’s Experiences in Multinational Tech Firms

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 183–196

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001328

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Intersectionality in Corporate Diversity Initiatives: Black Women’s Experiences in Multinational Tech Firms

Names of Author: Kemi Adeyinka¹ & Samuel O’Connor²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Nigeria; ²Department of Management and Organization, University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.

Abstract:
Global technology corporations have increasingly expanded engineering hubs across African cities while promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) pledges to attract female talent. However, corporate gender initiatives frequently treat women as a monolithic category, overlooking how race, nationality, and socio-economic background intersect to shape workplace hierarchies. Black African women in multinational tech firms routinely report wage disparities relative to expatriate peers, tokenistic representation in public branding, and exclusion from core product architecture teams. This paper investigates the workplace experiences of African women software engineers and product managers in Lagos, Nairobi, and Dublin. Grounded in intersectional organizational theory, the research draws on confidential interviews with 38 female tech professionals. The findings reveal that genuine workplace equity requires transparent global pay-parity audits, equitable intellectual property attribution, and dismantling neocolonial management structures.

Keywords: Intersectionality, tech industry, corporate diversity, Black women in tech, workplace equity, organizational culture, Nigeria, Ireland

Manuscript Timeline: Received: August 29, 2026; Revised: September 29, 2026; Accepted: October 03, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Adeyinka, K., & O’Connor, S. (2026). Intersectionality in Corporate Diversity Initiatives: Black Women’s Experiences in Multinational Tech Firms. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 183–196. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001328

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