Emotional Labor and Performance Appraisal Design Disparities amidst Colonial Legacies of Garifuna Women in Belize’s Defense Sectors

Abstract

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This study examined the lived experiences of Garifuna women employed within Belize's defense sectors—the Belize Coast Guard, the Belize Defense Force, and the Belize Police Department—with a focus on how they navigated institutional environments shaped by intersecting forms of systemic oppression. It analyzed how racism, sexism, and the institutional disregard for emotional labor were embedded within performance appraisal systems, exposing enduring colonial structures and highlighting the resilience of Garifuna women in their strategies of resistance and survival. Through qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews and document analysis, the research demonstrated that performance appraisal tools consistently failed to acknowledge the emotional and relational labor performed by these women, while simultaneously reinforcing racialized and gendered hierarchies. The findings underscored an urgent need to decolonize organizational practices and to reimagine frameworks of institutional accountability within Belize's security and defense apparatus.