Double-Edged Work: The (In)Visible Labor of Women of Color Mid-Level Higher Education Professionals

Women of color who pursue careers in higher education administration face a double bind of navigating institutional barriers wrought by sexism and racism while simultaneously taking on the crucial work of mentoring, advocating, and caring for students of color. This multi-method study drew on organizational support theory (Eisenberger et al., 1986) and intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1989; 1991) to understand the contributions of women of color on higher education campuses and the perceived support and value of their contributions. First, descriptive analyses were used to examine data from 998 respondents to the 2020 HERI Staff Climate Survey to understand gender and racial differences in items related to organizational support and diversity work. Additionally, structural equation modeling using a subset of 142 mid-level women of color staff was used to examine the relationship between diversity work, organizational support, campus racial and gender climate, and supervisor support on staff turnover rates. Finally, qualitative analyses drew from semi-structured interviews conducted in 2018 with 10 Latina mid-level student affairs professionals. The intersection of race and gender were centered in an effort to understand how organizational structures affect the working conditions, and ultimately retain or push out women of color higher education professionals.Findings indicated that women of color tend to shoulder more diversity work related to mentoring, advocacy, and addressing campus climate issues as well as emotional labor. Additionally, women of color who reported feeling valued by the institution and perceived high levels of supervisor support were less likely to indicate an intention to leave their job or institution. Increases in diversity work and the hostility of the climate were associated with higher turnover rates. Interviews with Latina student affairs professionals underscored how racism and sexism often contributed to undermining and devaluing their contributions. Overall, the findings demonstrated that the distribution of diversity work and developing a sense of organizational support is both raced and gendered. Higher education institutions must continue to address the distribution of workload and invisible labor, and its commitment to supporting women of color mid-level professionals in an effort to retain them. Future research can further examine the differences in workload and organizational support across subpopulations and their impact on turnover rates