Date of Award
2020
First Advisor
Francisca Oyogoa
Second Advisor
Eden-Renee Hayes
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to expand the lens of emotional labor from only a paid duty in the workplace to a responsibility that exists in unpaid forms in both a professional and personal capacity. Using this expanded definition, this thesis uses both qualitative and quantitative data to explore the way emotional labor manifests in multiple facets of people’s lives such as their jobs, family, and other interpersonal relationships as well as how socialization in Western societies has led the division of emotional labor to be inherently unequal. Based on research spanning across disciplines including sociology, psychology, and gender studies, it provides further insight into how the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality increases the burden and expectation placed on certain individuals and demographic groups to perform emotional labor. The final section focuses on the psychological toll that emotional labor can take on people when they are required to perform it for extended or repeated periods of time which include burnout, anxiety, and alienation.
Recommended Citation
Peake, Ana, "Invisible Work and Hidden Effects: A Study of Emotional Labor" (2020). Senior Theses. 1458.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/sr-theses/1458
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