“Administrators Come and Go but We Stay On”: Forms of Resistance in Classified Women with Long-Term Careers at a Single University

.Despite classified/hourly/non-exempt staff members’ significant presence in the higher education labor force, this class of employees is rarely studied. The limited literature documents their frequent experiences of sexism and classism, as well as limited advancement opportunities, despite their contributions to the mission of their institutions. Women in classified roles additionally experience sexism, and their contributions often are undervalued and made invisible within inequitable, gendered hierarchies in their institutions. In this instrumental case study, we explored how 13 women in hourly/classified staff positions, who had worked at the same university for over 25 years, resisted gendered hierarchies. Using resistance theory as an analytical framework, we found that study participants used a mixture of individual and collective forms of resistance against hierarchical structures and harmful practices to improve their own and other classified staff’s work experiences. Forms of resistance included direct confrontation, everyday resistance, and constructive resistance. Fostering interactions among classified staff may foster constructive resistance, leading to the development and sharing of innovative, effective practices that support the university’s mission. Examining how classified women resist sexist and hierarchical demands is important for understanding and amplifying the voices of classified staff members. Their agency, resistance, and ability to support the mission of the institution may have implications for how other minoritized groups resist oppressive structures in their workplaces.