Workaholism: A Sign of Perseverance or a Signal for Change?

By Hafeezat Bishi

Eight hour daily shifts, being on the executive boards for two orgs, and working three jobs. Is this the life? Well, for many students in marginalized identities or communities, this is their reality. This is what they do to get ahead of their more privileged counterparts, or to simply get to the same place they are.

Buzzfeed published an article earlier this year about millennials and how burnout is prevalent in that generation. While most of us are on the younger spectrum of the millennial generation, or a part of Generation Z, that burnout still applies. And for marginalized people, it’s even more impactful. The constant worry of being put on the spot to represent your background and being told from a young age you have to work ten times harder than your peers in order to succeed–all of those external pressures add up.

Workaholism is evident in all identities and areas, but the effects vary by circumstance. The National Research Council (US) Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life has done research that shows that large exposure to stress can increase “susceptibility to morbidity and mortality among minority groups.” So, although there can be healthy amounts of stress, too much stress can prove to be deadly for some more than others.

Reem Farhat, a junior international studies and journalism major at Fordham University, knows this feeling all too well. As a Muslim, Palestinian woman who also wears a hijab, she constantly feels the need to be the spokesperson for people within her intersecting identities, a situation that is put upon marginalized individuals too often.

“I always feel like I need to like, stand out and I also have this weird need to dismantle stereotypes, which really annoys me because sometimes I wish I could just do things for the sake of doing them,” Farhat said. “I know in my classes I feel like people have so many stereotypes of girls that wear hijab, or just Muslim girls in general–that we’re so docile and quiet–and so I feel like I work so hard to dismantle that and to make sure that I'm speaking up.”

Demetrius Lee, a Temple 2019 neuroscience alumnus, shared that being one of the few Black people in his classes and research positions pushed him to work even harder.

“I got into the lab and I was the only Black face there,” Lee said. “I immediately began to really focus on my work, and I realized that there was a lot of opportunity for undergraduates to really succeed in undergraduate research.

A 2015 article in The Atlantic explores the situation of being Black in a majority white workplace. According to the article, it was found Black professionals are more likely to be careful of the feelings they show in the workplace in order to keep pleasantries present, especially in response to racial issues. Black professionals also may feel the need to work longer hours in response to–and in hopes of breaking–stereotypes that surround the idea that Black people lack work ethic. Being one of the few people of color in your workplace can lead to thoughts of doubt and imposter syndrome, the questioning of your place in the spaces you find yourself occupying.

However, Lee took every opportunity presented to him. Every grant that came his way, every chance to help out with a supervisor, he was there. His hard work paid off, he now works at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia , but it was not the same path his colleagues took to get there.

“I definitely did probably six to seven times more work than my counterparts, but they all ended up in the exact same place where I'm at right now,” he said.

This isn’t just a path taken by Black professionals, this is a path taken by many marginalized people to obtain good standing in their careers. They may feel that it’s necessary to do over the top work in order to bring more positive awareness around the discussions and perceptions of the groups they belong to.

Alyssa de Guzman, a senior speech, language, and hearing sciences major, explains that due to the lack of visibility of Filipino-Americans in everyday culture, it impacts the work that she does. She currently works three jobs, is on the executive board of two organizations on campus, and has a minor in public health and two American sign language and linguistics certificates as well.

“There's not a lot of representation of Filipino Americans,” de Guzman said. “And in the country, usually people think about Koreans, Chinese, or Japanese. So as a Filipino American, I do feel a need to overcompensate because people don't know [about us]. If I work hard enough, or if I do all these things that they'll see like, ‘oh, and she's also really hard working’”.

This may sound very bleak and that there are thousands of obstacles that marginalized groups face. But good things do come out of their work. We are moving into an age where we are seeing more and more representation, showing that those who are underrepresented can succeed, and there is less need for them to over work as much as they do.

This is a time where younger generations are appreciating self-care more and taking ample opportunities to reach out for help if they need it . But the younger generations are also calling out the inequalities that many people face and demanding a change.

Adeoluwa Jones, a freshman at Temple, shares a call to action and some hopeful words for those who have been struggling with slowing down and finding time to take care of themselves.

He explains that this is no longer a path that needs to be taken alone, and that there are people who relate and would like to help, too.

“It’s important for us to attempt to reconstruct that narrative of having to work two times as hard,” Jones said. “Not saying that the narrative is [inherently] destructive. But we have the resources, we have friends, we have people here that care. And not all of it is up to you–you can lean on others, too.”