Students at Work: Care work, Neoliberalism, and Survival in Precarious Times

Abstract

This research project examines the time use of undergraduate students at Queen’s University, a public university located on Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee land in Ontario, Canada, with a focus on how much time they devote to care work. I argue that the university has become akin to a workplace, and students have accordingly become workers. This research is rooted in feminism theory and methodology, particularly intersectional feminist theory and social reproduction theory. I utilize time-use surveys and interviews to examine the potentially gendered and racialized dynamics of care work among students. I employ the feminist analytical approach of “studying up” by examining structural dynamics through the perspective of the everyday. I thus connect my findings to neoliberal theory and critique, its creation of so-called “life workers,” and the internalization of neoliberal discipline. I also discuss neoliberalism’s and the pandemic’s impact on care work and student time use overall. Finally, I use my interview findings to discuss structural issues at Queen’s University, and offer policy recommendations. I ultimately argue for the importance of centering care in a precarious world.