Emotional labor in a gendered occupation : the work of a female funeral director.

Abstract

Hochschild (1983) stated that emotional labor has unique consequences for women.However, most studies of these consequences have been situated in feminized occupations which have wage penalties and little upward mobility (see Sweet and Meiksins, 2004). This poses a problem as it may be difficult to tease apart what stressors are the result of emotional labor and which are a part of the broader issues of feminized work. The present research suggests that the funeral industry is a unique context for the study of women's emotional labor, as it is a numerically male dominated profession (BLS,2010). Using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with thirteen female funeral directors, the present research explored how women connected work roles and societal norms. The results suggest that beliefs in gender essentialism, or beliefs in other's essentialism, may influence how women experience and perform emotional labor. III

Emotional Labour of ‘Angels’: The Performances and Experiences of Male and Female Nurses in Sri Lanka

“…Many male employees also suffer when they are expected to display unfelt emotions or suppress felt emotions, especially in male-dominant professions such as firefighting, working as butchers or engaging in edgework, also known as social control work such as police and prison (Evers, 2018;Simpson et al, 2011;Thurnell-Read & Parker, 2008;Torland, 2011;Vaccaro et al, 2011;Yarnal et al, 2004, Ward et al, 2020. Thirdly, most of the studies conducted on emotional labour including Hochschild's (1983) study on flight attendants, have focused on emotional labour in female-dominant and stereotypically 'feminine' industries (Erickson & Ritter, 2001;Pruitt, 2012). Limited research has been undertaken on women's experiences in stereotypically 'masculine' industries (Martin, 1999;Pruitt, 2012) or men's experiences in stereotypically 'feminine' industries (Gray, 2010;Simpson, 2004).…”

“…Thirdly, most of the studies conducted on emotional labour including Hochschild's (1983) study on flight attendants, have focused on emotional labour in female-dominant and stereotypically 'feminine' industries (Erickson & Ritter, 2001;Pruitt, 2012). Limited research has been undertaken on women's experiences in stereotypically 'masculine' industries (Martin, 1999;Pruitt, 2012) or men's experiences in stereotypically 'feminine' industries (Gray, 2010;Simpson, 2004). Being in stereotypically 'feminine' and numerically female-dominant occupations have led men to enjoy benefits.…”