Faculty from Marginalized Groups in the Health and Social Service Professions - Challenging“Expected Academic” Identity and Roles

Oct 15, 2026

Academics have historically come from socially dominant groups, leaving marginalized professionals disadvantaged in teaching and research. Using semi-structured interviews across two larger studies, the paper examines narratives from 16 participants holding faculty roles in health and social service professions. It shows that expected academic identities—teacher, researcher, and colleague/administrator—do not fit well, producing role conflicts. Institutional norms require marginalized faculty to sacrifice time and selfhood to meet job demands, with effects spreading across academic work and beyond.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Résumé

Introduction

Faculty from Marginalized Groups in the Health and Social Service Professions: Challenging“Expected Academic” Identity and Roles Tara Pride Dalhousie University Kaitlin Sibbald Dalhousie University Anna MacLeod Dalhousie University Debbie Martin Dalhousie University Michelle Owen University of Winnipeg Abstract Academics have historically been members of socially dominant groups—white, cisgender, heterosexual men, from middle-to upper-classes, who identify as able-bodied and able-minded. Members of other groups are often disadvantaged. In two larger studies, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals from marginalized groups. Here we explore the narratives of 16 participants who explicitly discussed their experiences in faculty positions within the health and social service professions. The expected academic roles of teacher, researcher, and colleague/administrator did not neatly fit for participants, clashing with the expectations they faced by virtue of their marginalized identities. Within the health and social service professions, the norms and expectations of the academy required marginalized faculty to make sacrifices oftheir time and sense of self to meet job demands. The effects of these role conflicts are pervasive, affecting many areas of academic work and beyond. Keywords: professional expectations, academia, marginalization, equity Résumé Les universitaires ont toujours été membres de groupes socialement dominants – blancs, cisgenres, hétérosexuels, hommes, des classes moyennes à supérieures, quis’identifient comme personnes aptes physiquement et mentalement. Les membres d’autres groupes sont souvent désavantagés. Dans deux études, des entretiens semi-structurés ont été menés avec des professionnels issus de groupes marginalisés. Nous explorons les récits de 16 participants qui ont explicitement discuté de leurs expériences dans des postes de professeurs dans le domaine de la santé et des services sociaux. Les rôles universitaires ne convenaient pas parfaitement aux participants, se heurtant aux attentes auxquelles ils étaient confrontés en raison de leurs identités marginalisées. Les normeset les attentes de l’université exigeaient que les professeurs marginalisés sacrifient leur temps et leur identité pour répondre aux exigences du travail. Les effets de ces conflits de rôles sont omniprésents, affectant de nombreux domaines du travail universitaire. Mots-clés : attentes professionnelles, milieu universitaire, marginalisation, équité Introduction Recent years have seen a trend toward post-secondary institutions increasing commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Aligned with this, health and social service pro- fessions acknowledge a need for a professional workforce that represents the populations which they seek to serve (Kabene et al., 2012), necessitating diversity in recruitment and retention for post-secondary health and social service professional programs. To date, the need to increase di- Canadian Journal of Higher Education | Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur 53:1 (2023) versity has focused on the student population, yet there is a growing realization that there is a connection between the ability to increase, recruit, and retain diversity in post-secondary health and social service professional programs and the diversity of faculty and staff within those programs (Canadian Association of University Teachers, 2018a; Mohamed & Beagan, 2019; Stone et al., 2013) . Members of non-dominant groups have historically been excluded from teaching and research in academia, and those who entered have reported experiencing discrimination and a lack of belonging (e.g., Ahmed, 2012; Stone et al., 2013; Mohamed & Beagan, 2019; Vaccaro, 2012; Waterfield et al., 2018) . This means that members of non-dominant groups have had their rich perspectives and diverse ways of knowing not taught or represented within the academy. Herein, we argue that attracting a

FAQs

What method did the study use to explore marginalized faculty experiences?

The study used semi-structured interviews conducted in two larger studies.

What kinds of expected academic roles did participants say did not fit them well?

Participants reported that expected roles such as teacher, researcher, and colleague/administrator did not neatly fit.

How do role conflicts affect marginalized faculty in the health and social service professions?

The effects are described as pervasive, influencing many areas of academic work and beyond.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rainbow Cat