Emotional Labor Performed Among University Faculty Responding to Student Sexual Assault Disclosures

Author

Cadi ImbodyFollow

Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice

Committee Chair/Advisor

Heather Hensman Kettrey

Committee Member

Catherine Mobley

Committee Member

Heidi Zinzow

Abstract

Given the barriers to formal help-seeking and the prevalence on college campuses, students who experience sexual assault may turn to faculty for assistance, as they are familiar faces they trust and can provide access to university resources. In these cases, faculty may become the frontline for providing official help within the university setting. Responding to these student sexual assault disclosures requires great emotional capacity and the ability to provide empathetic, supportive responses. In these interactions, faculty may need to perform what Arlie Russell Hochschild (1983/2003) theorized as “emotional labor” to handle such sensitive information appropriately. Initially focusing on the service industry, Hochschild’s foundational work highlighted an often-overlooked form of gendered labor.

Within the context of structure in academia and the nuance of sexual assault disclosures, it is crucial to observe the ways in which Hochschild’s emotional labor is performed by faculty. Thus, this study aims to examine faculty members’ perceived preparedness for handling students’ sexual assault disclosures, as well as their perceptions of the emotional labor that responding to such allegations entails through semi-structured interviews. Findings from this study suggest that the emotional labor faculty perform becomes more strenuous when they lack proper support or recognition from their institutions. Additionally, female faculty often perform this emotional labor more often and feel the burden of responding to disclosures unequally among disciplines and across universities.

Recommended Citation

Imbody, Cadi, "Emotional Labor Performed Among University Faculty Responding to Student Sexual Assault Disclosures" (2024). All Theses. 4214.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4214