“We're just not acknowledged”: An examination of the identity taxation of full-time non-tenure-track Women of Color faculty members.

Abstract

This qualitative study examines the ways in which 15 full-time non-tenure-track Women of Color faculty members (NTWCFs) at historically White colleges and universities experienced identity taxation in their work. Critical race theory and critical race feminism were used as theoretical frameworks. Participants experienced identity taxation in 3 ways: care for marginalized students, overburdened with institutional service, and obligations to teach colleagues about race and racism. Although these findings are consistent with the research on tenure-track and tenured Women of Color faculty members, non-tenure-track faculty members faced distinct implications from identity taxation. This included feeling pressured to do this work in hopes of maintaining their position or securing a more permanent one as a result of the tenuous nature of their contracts. Given the overrepresentation of Women of Color in non-tenure-track positions, these findings illustrate a systemic problem that keeps Women of Color in unstable and financially unsustainable academic positions.

The Pandemic as a Portal: Reimagining Psychological Science as Truly Open and Inclusive

“…Graduate students are asked to shoulder much of the hands-on research, teaching, and mentoring work that takes place at graduate institutions, while being paid very little for their time (Knoll, 2019); our sense is that graduate students also shoulder much of the burden of learning, implementing, and helping others implement open science practices (see e.g., Hilgard, 2020). And those whose identities place them at the intersections of these inequitable systems experience an especially large number of requests and workload of valuable-but-not-valued labor (Hirschfeld & Joseph, 2012;Rideau, 2019;Turner, 2002). 5 That this work is intrinsically motivating and purpose-driven to many is beside the point; our point is that organizations, institutions, and systems benefit from such purpose-driven work without directly supporting it.…”

How Racism Against BIPOC Women Faculty Operates in Social Work Academia

“…Faculty of color often spend more time than their White colleagues in mentoring students (Rideau, 2019). Teaching and service generally entail substantial amounts of emotional labor, but this labor is not seen to be a valued skill and is therefore poorly rewarded by the academic merit system (Bellas, 1999).…”

“…Students of color also seek out BIPOC women faculty for advising and educational/career counseling. While BIPOC women faculty are often strongly committed to supporting students of color, caring for marginalized students is another method by which we experience identity taxation (Rideau, 2019). While women of color faculty take pride and responsibility in supporting younger colleagues, these added mentorship expectations can be time-consuming and emotionally draining.…”

“…While women of color faculty take pride and responsibility in supporting younger colleagues, these added mentorship expectations can be time-consuming and emotionally draining. The added burden of supporting marginalized students can also entail assuming adding risks (Rideau, 2019) within university systems.…”

“…BIPOC women faculty within predominantly White institutions (PWI) experience additional tensions in academe (Menges & Exum, 1983;Rideau, 2019) as oppression is based on both axes of race and gender (Turner, 2008). While the overall number of female faculty has increased within institutions of higher education, the number of BIPOC female faculty has remained a small proportion (National Research Council, 2013).…”