IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/gender/v29y2022i2p520-535.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The production of difference and “becoming Black”: The experiences of female Nigerian doctors and nurses working in the National Health Service

Author

Listed:
  • Nkechinyelu Ann Edeh
  • Sarah Riley
  • Patrizia Kokot‐Blamey

Abstract

In this article, we combine theory from cultural theorist Stuart Hall with phenomenological psychology to analyze the experiences of female Nigerian doctors and nurses working in the National Health Service (NHS). Drawing on 32 interviews with 24 nurses and doctors, our empirical analysis demonstrates how encounters with patients, colleagues and the structures of the NHS collapsed these health care professionals' identities into a single category of Black that produced them as racially different and inferior – a process we describe as “becoming Black.” In this analysis, we emphasize the utility of Hall's legacy to organizational analyses of experience, and the importance of centering race in such works, thereby adding to the wider literature on discrimination and identity. Hall's contributions offer us a framework for conceptualizing identity as in process, as arising in dialog with another, and framed in a historical context shaped by colonialism. Through a phenomenological lens we explore these identity processes, drawing out racialized experiences, and demonstrating “becoming Black” as a form of symbolic violence with real effects related to psychological distress and workplace precarity.

Suggested Citation

  • Nkechinyelu Ann Edeh & Sarah Riley & Patrizia Kokot‐Blamey, 2022. "The production of difference and “becoming Black”: The experiences of female Nigerian doctors and nurses working in the National Health Service," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 520-535, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:29:y:2022:i:2:p:520-535
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12779
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12779
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/gwao.12779?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wallace, S. & Nazroo, J. & Bécares, L., 2016. "Cumulative effect of racial discrimination on the mental health of ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 106(7), pages 1294-1300.
    2. Jenny Rodriguez & Evangelina Holvino & Joyce K. Fletcher & Stella M. Nkomo & Doyin Atewologun & Ruth Sealy & Susan Vinnicombe, 2016. "Revealing Intersectional Dynamics in Organizations: Introducing ‘Intersectional Identity Work’," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 223-247, May.
    3. Jenny Rodriguez & Evangelina Holvino & Joyce K. Fletcher & Stella M. Nkomo & Nasima Mohamed Hoosen Carrim & Stella M. Nkomo, 2016. "Wedding Intersectionality Theory and Identity Work in Organizations: South African Indian Women Negotiating Managerial Identity," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(3), pages 261-277, May.
    4. Geraldine Healy & Franklin Oikelome, 2011. "Diversity, Ethnicity, Migration and Work: UK and US Perspectives," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Diversity, Ethnicity, Migration and Work, chapter 3, pages 36-66, Palgrave Macmillan.
    5. Victoria Opara & Ruth Sealy & Michelle K. Ryan, 2020. "The workplace experiences of BAME professional women: Understanding experiences at the intersection," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1192-1213, November.
    6. Julia Nichols & Jackie Campbell, 2010. "The experiences of internationally recruited nurses in the UK (1995–2007): an integrative review," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(19‐20), pages 2814-2823, October.
    7. Geraldine Healy & Franklin Oikelome, 2011. "Diversity, Ethnicity, Migration and Work," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-32147-2, March.
    8. Ozbilgin, Mustafa F. & Tsouroufli, Maria & Smith, Merryn, 2011. "Understanding the interplay of time, gender and professionalism in hospital medicine in the UK," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(10), pages 1588-1594, May.
    9. Sheila Ellwood & Javier Garcia-Lacalle & Sonia Royo, 2020. "The shattered glass ceiling and a narrowing gender pay gap in NHS foundation trusts: gender and salaries of chief executives," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 31-41, January.
    10. Tracey Warren, 2006. "Moving Beyond The Gender Wealth Gap: On Gender, Class, Ethnicity, And Wealth Inequalities In The United Kingdom," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(1-2), pages 195-219.
    11. Linda McDowell & Esther Rootham & Abby Hardgrove, 2016. "The Production of Difference and Maintenance of Inequality: The Place of Young Goan Men in a Post-Crisis UK Labour Market," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 108-124, March.
    12. Stephen Pudney & Michael Shields, 2000. "Gender, race, pay and promotion in the British nursing profession: estimation of a generalized ordered probit model," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(4), pages 367-399.
    13. Gloria Likupe, 2006. "Experiences of African nurses in the UK National Health Service: a literature review," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(10), pages 1213-1220, October.
    14. Sheila Ellwood & Javier Garcia-Lacalle, 2015. "The Influence of Presence and Position of Women on the Boards of Directors: The Case of NHS Foundation Trusts," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 69-84, August.
    15. Anne McBride, 2003. "Reconciling Competing Pressures for Working-time Flexibility," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 17(1), pages 159-170, March.
    16. Sophie Hennekam & Yuliya Shymko, 2020. "Coping with the COVID‐19 crisis: force majeure and gender performativity," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 788-803, September.
    17. Gina Netto & Mike Noon & Maria Hudson & Nicolina Kamenou‐Aigbekaen & Filip Sosenko, 2020. "Intersectionality, identity work and migrant progression from low‐paid work: A critical realist approach," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1020-1039, November.
    18. Geraldine Healy & Franklin Oikelome, 2011. "Reflections on Diversity, Ethnicity and Migration at Work at a Time of Change," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Diversity, Ethnicity, Migration and Work, chapter 11, pages 236-248, Palgrave Macmillan.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. rashné limki, 2018. "On the coloniality of work: Commercial surrogacy in India," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(4), pages 327-342, July.
    2. Gina Netto & Mike Noon & Maria Hudson & Nicolina Kamenou‐Aigbekaen & Filip Sosenko, 2020. "Intersectionality, identity work and migrant progression from low‐paid work: A critical realist approach," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1020-1039, November.
    3. Maurice Mutisya & Moses W. Ngware & Caroline W. Kabiru & Ngianga-bakwin Kandala, 2016. "The effect of education on household food security in two informal urban settlements in Kenya: a longitudinal analysis," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(4), pages 743-756, August.
    4. Sierminska, Eva & Piazzalunga, Daniela & Grabka, Markus M., 2018. "Transitioning towards more equality? Wealth gender differences and the changing role of explanatory factors over time," GLO Discussion Paper Series 252, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Fava, Nicole M. & Li, Tan & Burke, Shanna L. & Wagner, Eric F., 2017. "Resilience in the context of fragility: Development of a multidimensional measure of child wellbeing within the Fragile Families dataset," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 358-367.
    6. Juliet Elizabeth Kele & Catherine Cassell & Jacqueline Ford & Kathryn Watson, 2022. "Intersectional identities and career progression in retail: The experiences of minority‐ethnic women," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 1178-1198, July.
    7. Paola Paoloni & Francesca Dal Mas & Amelia Barcellini, 2021. "Leadership femminile in sanit?: possibili soluzioni e strumenti. Un caso di studio," MECOSAN, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(120), pages 83-104.
    8. Jean Gardiner & Andrew M Robinson & Fathi Fakhfakh, 2016. "Exploring the private pension gender gap and occupation in later working life," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 30(4), pages 687-707, August.
    9. Kuhlmann, Ellen & Larsen, Christa, 2015. "Why we need multi-level health workforce governance: Case studies from nursing and medicine in Germany," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(12), pages 1636-1644.
    10. Irizar, Patricia & Kapadia, Dharmi & Amele, Sarah & Bécares, Laia & Divall, Pip & Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal & Kibuchi, Eliud & Kneale, Dylan & McCabe, Ronan & Nazroo, James & Nellums, Laura B. & T, 2023. "Pathways to ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 health outcomes in the United Kingdom: A systematic map," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 329(C).
    11. William H. Greene & Mark N. Harris & Bruce Hollingsworth, 2015. "Inflated Responses in Measures of Self-Assessed Health," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(4), pages 461-493, Fall.
    12. Faisal Hameed & Mohammad Alfaraj & Khizar Hameed, 2023. "The Association of Board Characteristics and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Quality: Empirical Evidence from Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-24, December.
    13. William H. Greene & Mark N. Harris & Rachel J. Knott & Nigel Rice, 2021. "Specification and testing of hierarchical ordered response models with anchoring vignettes," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 184(1), pages 31-64, January.
    14. Schneebaum, Alyssa & Rehm, Miriam & Mader, Katharina & Klopf, Patricia & Hollan, Katarina, 2014. "The Gender Wealth Gap in Europe," Department of Economics Working Paper Series 186, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
    15. Kilic, Talip & Moylan, Heather & Koolwal, Gayatri, 2021. "Getting the (Gender-Disaggregated) lay of the land: Impact of survey respondent selection on measuring land ownership and rights," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    16. Victoria Prowse, 2005. "How Damaging is Part-time Employment to a Woman's Occupational Prospects?," Economics Papers 2005-W19, Economics Group, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
    17. García, C. José & Herrero, Begoña, 2021. "Female directors, capital structure, and financial distress," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 592-601.
    18. Michael A. Shields & Stephen Wheatley Price, "undated". "Racial Harassment, Job Satisfaction and Intentions to Quit: Evidence from the British Nursing Profession," Discussion Papers in Public Sector Economics 01/2, Division of Economics, School of Business, University of Leicester.
    19. Antti Kauhanen & Sami Napari, 2015. "Gender Differences in Careers," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 117-118, pages 61-88.
    20. Paul Frijters & Michael A. Shields & Stephen Wheatley Price, 2004. "To Teach or not to Teach? Panel Data Evidence on the Quitting Decision," Department of Economics - Working Papers Series 916, The University of Melbourne.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:29:y:2022:i:2:p:520-535. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley-Blackwell Digital Licensing or Christopher F. Baum (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0968-6673 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.