The Emotional Labor of Black Women Custodians on a Deep South College Campus

• In Event: 20851 - White Collar, Blue Collar, Raced Collars: Racialized Work Spaces

Abstract

Patterns of racialized employment slotting are clear on college campuses. This paper focuses on the daily experiences of Black women who work as campus custodians asking how they frame descriptions of emotional labor when describing their interactions with others. Custodians are often hidden in the invisible margins of the institutional community. They experience lower wages, fewer benefits, greater physical demands, and less perceived institutional value than other campus employees. Looking at their experience through the theoretical lenses of emotional labor, the paper explains the role of deep and surface acting in custodian work. Qualitative methods are used. Data analysis and findings will be discussed.

Author

• Lisa Gooden-Hunley, Mississippi State University