The Influences of Gender, Race and Ethnicity on Workplace Experiences of Institutional and Social Isolation

An Exploratory Study of University Faculty

Bibliographic Data

ID2155771
AuthorsJanice Witt Smith, Janice Smith (0000-0002-2088-5710, Winston-Salem State University), Toni Calasanti (0009-0008-1486-4850, Virginia Tech, corresponding author)
Year2005
Volume25
Issue3
Pages307-334
Publication date2005-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSociological Spectrum (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0273-2173 • E-ISSN: 1521-0707
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/027321790518735
OpenAlexW2128658355
LanguageEN
Citations received49
References cited53

Racial and ethnic minorities and women in the professoriate have already achieved a level of career success to overcome obstacles and negotiate the educational process. Still, their experiences differ from their white male counterparts. They lag behind in terms of pay and mobility, and research on other occupations reveals that even “successful” minorities experience the workplace organization differently from white men (Nkomo and Cox 1990 Nkomo , S. M. and T. Cox . Jr. 1990 . “Factors Affecting the Upward Mobility of Black Managers in Private Sector Organizations.” The Review of the Black Political Economy 18 ( 3 ): 39 – 57 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Yoder and Aniakudo, 1997 Yoder , J. F. and P. Aniakudo . 1997 . “Outsider Within the Firehouse: Subordination and Difference in the Social Interactions of African-American Women Firefighters.” Gender & Society 11 ( 3 ): 324 – 341 . [CSA] [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Our study extends research in this area in two ways. First, we ask, to what extent do women and minorities in the professoriate experience the workplace differently from white men as evidenced in feelings of institutional and social isolation, and intention to turnover? Second, we avoid homogenizing racial and ethnic minority groups into a single “nonwhite” category. Thus, in exploring experiences of isolation, we distinguish among a wider range of racial, ethnic and gender groups. While we had insufficient numbers to look at a large number of minority groups, our findings indicate the importance of examining feelings of different types of isolation and the significance of the gendered and racialized nature of workplace organizations

Ethnic group · Exploratory research · Feeling · Higher education · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Social isolation · Social science · Sociology · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Studies · Higher Education Research Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Work-Family Balance Challenges

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