Black Women Keep Emotions in Check for Paycheck

By Marlene L. Johnson

Perhaps more than any potential First Lady since Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama faces considerable pressure to transform, change, and adapt her persona to become more palatable to a broad spectrum of voters. Michelle Obama has alternately been cast as unpatriotic, angry, aggressive, pushy, and as a dangerous Black woman, while at the same time been admired for her fashion sense.

“Her challenge is familiar to that of many professional Black women who like her, must transform or alter themselves to be welcomed and accepted, especially in the workplaces,” according to sociologists Marlese Durr of Wright State University and her co-author Adia Harvey Wingfield of Georgia State University, who conducted a study on “African American Women and the Interactive Effects of Etiquette and Emotional Labor.”

Durr and Wingfield, whose findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA), posit that black professionals engage in two types of "emotional performance" in the workplace--general etiquette and racialized emotional maintenance.

According to Durr and Wingfield, Black professionals make extra effort in the workplace to fulfill what they believe are the expectations of their white colleagues.

“Our analysis of these aspects of workplace behavior reveals that women and men co-mingle etiquette and emotion maintenance to be accepted in the workplace and to fit white expectations," said Durr, who concludes that "this emotional overtime in the workplace strengthens race/ethnic group solidarity."

Many of the Black women respondents in the study simply stated that they feel they are in a “parade” being judged for appearance, personal decorum, communication skills, and emotion management in addition to productivity. “The work is too much. I get tired of being ‘on’ for [white] colleagues who scrutinize every behavior. So every now and then, I lose it.”

Black women also engage in etiquette and emotional labor to cope with feelings of alienation and loneliness that stem from being the only, or one of few.

o “I’m upset about being a Black professional woman in this environment. It’s very isolating. But as much as I’d like to be upset about it, I can’t because it would come off the wrong way. So I have to be happy-go-lucky, everything’s great, everything’s wonderful, but it really sucks.” (Charlotte, the only Black attorney in a mid-sized firm).

o “At one point I was the only person of color who was not cooking, cleaning, or maintaining the grounds. It got so bad that the [Black] men, they had their social support group and they invited me to join because they knew how that felt.” (Giselle)

When Black women become advanced, like Michelle Obama, their self presentation and communication style are scrutinized.

o “Being direct and speaking your mind is never encouraged. In fact if you do, you encounter a world of silence and avoidance, which is one of the most severe penalties. You are placed outside of the loop, and you may stay there for a long time. Quite possibly…permanently. So despite the fact you may have a contribution, it is not welcomed.” (Barbara)

So, as they learn the verbal and body language of bureaucracy, they must negate values and styles of communication developed as a survival skill in their community.

According to the study, the women apply a survival-safety analysis and render their verbal participation to a lower level of priority. They smile on cue, remaining expressionless, unmoved by the content of conversation even if the subject is distressing or controversial, and carefully couching responses in the language of the workplace. Most say they feel defenseless. The emotion that is concealed is evident in their voices, body language, and style of conversation.

o “You learn to remain quiet and speak when spoken to and never verbalize your thoughts on an issue or policy.” (Sharon)

o “You go with the flow since you realize this may not be a battle you can win, despite the fact you may be correct in assumptions and remedies you have in mind.” (Rhonda)

Irene offers a very astute assessment of the importance of concealing emotions: “If you don’t play by their rules in terms of your behavior, …modulating your emotions,[and] if you don’t do certain things the way they want you to do them, it has a direct impact on your career and your economic stability.”

Others have said “[white supervisors] make deals about the next position or talk about their future being bright. They say you have time, so the next promotion available is yours. “But it never happens. For some reason an organizational change erases the promised promotion. It just never happens, unless there is pressure to promote Black.”

“I got my job as a manager because they had no black managers, but guess what I manage? I manage compensatory education staff and programs.” (Tandy)

o “I do the same, but it’s the only way to become a manager at …this place does not care about their students, just the federal aid and visibility of their darkies. That’s when they get them and if they stay. You are on for them all the time. But you take what you can get. ” (Elizabeth)

The study found that emotional labor enables Black women to present the appropriate emotional veneer that allows them to fit in and enhance their capability with organizational norms. This is particularly useful when confronted with racial issues.

o “I have to be very congenial. Sometimes I don’t want to deal with [racism]. But I just have to hide my real emotions.” (Gina)

o Respondent, Barbara puts it this way, “I always prepare because I want to make sure my temper is in check. You know, I’m mellow. I have unhooked from personal feelings, previous conversations to deal with what’s ahead. I do this because so few women [Black] are in managerial and executive level posts.”

Source: Adapted from a paper prepared for the 103rd American Sociological Association Annual Meeting Sheraton Boston and the Boston Marriott Copley Plaza, Boston, Massachusetts, August 1-4, 2008. For more information on the study see www.asanet.org. Contact authors at Marlese.Durr@Wright.edu