Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 6-13-2019 Women, Emotional Labor, and Higher Education Administration: A Qualitative Interview Study Almi Rodriguez Florida International Univeristy, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Rodriguez, Almi, "Women, Emotional Labor, and Higher Education Administration: A Qualitative Interview Study" (2019). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4258. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4258 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida WOMEN, EMOTIONAL LABOR, AND HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION: A QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW STUDY A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in HIGHER EDUCATION by Almi Rodriguez 2019 To: Dean Michael R. Heithaus College of Arts, Sciences and Education This dissertation, written by Almi Rodriguez, and entitled Women, Emotional Labor, and Higher Education Administration: A Qualitative Interview Study, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. James Burns Norma Goonen Daniel Saunders Benjamin Baez, Major Professor Date of Defense: June 13, 2019 The dissertation of Almi Rodriguez is approved. Dean Michael R. Heithaus College of Arts, Sciences and Education Andrés G. Gil Vice President for Research and Economic Development And Dean of the University Graduate School Florida International University, 2019 ii © Copyright 2019 by Almi Rodriguez All rights reserved. iii DEDICATION I want to begin by first dedicating this work to my life partner and husband, Danny. You have been a motivating force in my life since we first met. I love and admire you deeply. Without your unrelenting support throughout this process, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for loving me the way you do, and for always encouraging me to grow personally and professionally. I also dedicate this work to two of my favorite people, my mom and my sister. Mom, thank you for teaching me perseverance, hard work, and kindness. You always seem to know the exact time I need a hand, and you’re always there to give it. Ayanita, thank you for being my sounding board and my absolute best friend. Thank you for lighting the path for me and allowing me the privilege to follow in your footsteps through this academic journey--you are my inspiration. I love you both. To my nieces and nephews, Mailani, Alanna, Leila, Ayden, and Lucas: remember, you can do anything you set your mind to. Never doubt your abilities, chase your dreams, and always strive to be the best version of yourself. Finally, I dedicate this work to my unborn child; this is for you. And when the time comes, what would you like to be remembered for? Someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. -Notorious R.B.G. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to my committee members: Dr. Baez, thank you for your guidance and encouragement as I navigated this work, and thank you for always championing for your students. Drs. Norma Goonen and Daniel Saunders, thank you for your helpful feedback. Finally, a special thank you to Dr. Burns for providing me with support in my darkest and most difficult hour(s); I am forever indebted by the kindness you have shown me. You are a true gentleman and scholar. To the matriarchs of my families, Mima, Cuquita, and Tia: you paved the way for me to get here. Your impact has been profound; I love you. To all of my very best friends who allow me to be me, thank you. Your love, support, sincerity, and hilarity are at the core of my heart and being. Shout-out to my shady bunch for keeping me grounded. You mean more to me than I could ever possibly articulate. Sachay Liriano, thank you for supporting me throughout this process. In my absence, you lead our team with poise and grace. As I’ve said to you before, I’m not sure I will ever have the right words to thank you for your hard work and dedication. I admire you in many ways. To my classmates who kept me sane throughout this process, thank you. Your humor and sheer brilliance are an inspiration to me. Jessica, it wasn’t easy, but we did it! Our shared humor and friendship got me through this experience. Matt, and Justin – thanks for the bottomless laughs. Cheers to us! v To my participants, thank you for your honest and open dialogue. Thank you for trusting me with your stories; each and every one of you provided me with impactful life lessons. Without you, this work would have truly been impossible. Thank you to FIU for providing me the avenues to pursue my dream of obtaining a doctorate degree. Thank you to HWCOM for allowing me time away from work to focus on my scholarship. Finally, an honorable mention goes out to my furry companions who spent countless hours at my feet, waiting patiently as I worked on this project. Lucy and Biggie, you’re the real MVPs. To whoever reads this dissertation, my hope is that you find something that resonates with you. vi ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION WOMEN, EMOTIONAL LABOR, AND HIGHER EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION: A QUALITATIVE INTERVIEW STUDY by Almi Rodriguez Florida International University, 2019 Miami, Florida Professor Benjamin Baez, Major Professor Emotional labor is not a gender-specific experience. Hochschild (1983) estimated that roughly one-third of American workers encounter substantial emotional labor demands as a result of their occupation. However, my study examined women’s experiences with emotional labor in higher education because women face different expectations of emotional management (Wharton & Erickson, 1993; Hochschild, 1983). Emotions are situated within larger, gendered, and sexualized hierarchies that are reinforced through normalizing discourses and social arrangements that dictate what is normal (Illouz, 2007). Furthermore, power relations shape emotions through sometimes unseen, yet repetitious disciplinary techniques (i.e., emotional norms) that make up the patriarchy; particularly in organizational structures, which are not gender neutral (Acker, 1990). Thus, norms, such as emotions, that shape and encode our society deserve our attention, research, and criticality. The present study provides a platform to recognize and acknowledge the ways in which participants experience and understand emotional labor within the workplace of higher education administration. Two semi-structured, in-depth interviews were vii conducted with 12 women higher education administrators about their experiences and understandings of emotional labor. Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify salient and emergent themes. The results of the present study show that participant’s experiences and understandings of emotional labor are contextualized within their work environment and culture, which emphasizes power and privilege through degrees, ranks, and hierarchies. Hierarchies are made explicit in highly politicized places where emotional labor is necessary to appear as rational. Further, participants conceptualized emotional labor as part of their performance of professionalism and leadership, which points to the commodification of emotions and behaviors as part of employment. Finally, through the embodiment of the organization, findings demonstrate the gendered nature of the participant’s work environment by acknowledging the way their institution privileges behavior rooted in masculine concepts such as emotion-less rationality. Implications include the acknowledgment of traditionally invisible work and the highlighting of gender relations within this work environment. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................... 3 The University in Ruins as an Emotional Endeavor ............................................ 4 Theoretical Concept .................................................................................................. 8 Statement of Purpose ................................................................................................. 9 Research Question ................................................................................................... 10 Statement of Significance ........................................................................................ 11 Assumptions and Delimitations .............................................................................. 12 Summary of Chapter ............................................................................................... 12 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE .............................................................................. 14 Emotional Labor Overview ..................................................................................... 14 Defining Emotional Labor .................................................................................. 16 Dimensions of Emotional Labor .......................................................................