When we talk about hybrid working in higher education, the conversation often centres on flexibility and productivity. But for Black women academics, one of the most under-represented groups in UK universities, the reality is far more complex.
A new study led by Dr Tinkuma Edafioghor and Dr Ifeoma Dan-Ogosi explores how hybrid working affects the visibility, wellbeing, and career progression of Black women in academia. Funded by the EDI Caucus, their project, The Impact of Hybrid Working on Black Women Academics: Productivity and Visibility in Post-COVID Higher Education, is shedding light on the unseen labour and unspoken rules that continue to shape academic life.
Earlier this year, the pair presented their early findings at the European Sociological Association Interim Conference in Lund, Sweden, a milestone that signalled both the international reach and urgent relevance of their work.
“Hybrid working doesn’t necessarily create new problems but it can amplify existing ones.”
Dr Edafioghor explained that the project is about more than just flexible working patterns; it’s about understanding how equity is (or isn’t) built into the systems universities rely on.
“We’re looking at things like visibility, career progression, emotional wellbeing, productivity, and how people balance work with their personal lives,” she said.
“We already know that Black women are one of the most under-represented groups in UK academia. Because of that, they often face challenges around being seen, being heard, and being recognised. Hybrid working doesn’t necessarily create new problems, but it can amplify things that were already there if institutions don’t intentionally build equity into their hybrid models.”
The team is conducting in-depth interviews and focus groups with Black women across different universities, disciplines, and career stages – using a co-design approach so participants can directly shape the questions and the recommendations that will follow.
At its heart, this project fills a critical evidence gap. While post-COVID research on hybrid working has been extensive, very little focuses specifically on Black women.
“We wanted to make sure the evidence isn’t just theory – it’s grounded in the real lived experiences of people working in these hybrid systems,” Dr Edafioghor explained.
The study’s innovation can be described as two-fold.
First, the project takes an intersectional, evidence-based look at hybrid working, showing that while many academics value flexibility, experiences of it are shaped by race, gender, and structural position.
“The model itself isn’t the problem,” she explained. “But people experience it differently depending on their position in the system and equity has to be intentionally built in.”
Second, the co-design methodology sets this project apart. Instead of being about people, it’s being developed with them. Black women academics have been central in shaping the questions, the analysis, and the emerging recommendations.
One of the strongest insights to emerge is the sheer range of skills Black women deploy daily that often go unrecognised:
- Emotional labour – being the person colleagues and students turn to for support.
- Pastoral care and mentoring – providing guidance that requires emotional intelligence and problem-solving.
- Navigating unwritten rules – reading and interpreting institutional culture to progress.
- EDI work – facilitating inclusion and cultural change, often on top of existing workloads.
- Balancing academic and caring roles – mastering time management and boundary-setting.
“These are not just traits or strengths,” Dr Edafioghor emphasised. “They’re professional skills that universities depend on. But because they’re not formally recognised, Black women can end up overstretched, undervalued, and less visible even though they’re contributing enormously.”
The findings have clear implications for how universities design equitable systems.
“Our research can inform policy, workload allocations, hybrid working guidelines, leadership training, and promotion frameworks,” Dr Edafioghor said. “There’s a real opportunity for institutions to take this evidence and redesign hybrid working in a way that is fairer and more inclusive.”
The team is already sharing insights with partners such as WHEN (Women’s Higher Education Network), Studies in Higher Education, and EDICa, ensuring that UWE Bristol’s research reaches national and sector-wide audiences.
Emerging Findings
Four key themes are beginning to stand out:
- Intersectionality matters.
Hybrid work doesn’t affect everyone the same. Race, gender, migration status, and even visa pressures shape what hybrid work feels like. - The unwritten rules persist.
Informal norms about visibility and belonging continue to influence progression – just less overtly. - Mentoring and clarity are crucial.
Guidance from mentors who understand intersectional experiences is a lifeline for many participants. - The emotional toll is real.
Behind composure lies exhaustion. One participant reflected:
“I tell them I’m probably crying inside, but I’m still smiling outside, which is something, I think Black women as mothers, we tend to do a lot of.”
“It’s about understanding the full picture.”
Both researchers are clear: the study isn’t about criticising hybrid working; it’s about improving it.
“We’ve lived many of these dynamics ourselves,” Dr Edafioghor said. “We saw that hybrid working brought a lot of benefits, but Black women’s voices weren’t really part of the big conversations universities were having about it. So for us, it’s about understanding the full picture; what’s working well, what still needs attention, and how universities can make hybrid working more equitable.”
Presenting at the ESA Conference was a defining moment for the project.
“It meant a lot,” Dr Edafioghor shared. “It showed that the experiences of Black women academics resonate not just in the UK but internationally too. People were really engaged. It reinforced that we’re contributing something important to the global conversation on equity and hybrid work. It also positioned UWE as a university producing research that genuinely matters.”
Looking Forward
As the study progresses, its impact is already clear: opening up conversations about the future of work, representation, and wellbeing in higher education.
By centring lived experience and applying an intersectional lens, Dr Edafioghor and Dr Dan-Ogosi are not just analysing the system – they’re helping to reshape it.
Their work stands as a reminder that inclusion must be designed in, not assumed.
This project is funded by the EDI Caucus and supported by Professors Susan Durbin and Hazel Conley (UWE Bristol) and Professor Tessa Wright (Queen Mary University of London).