36 JUST LABOUR vol. 2 (Spring 2003)

TEARS AT WORK: GENDER, INTERACTION, AND EMOTIONAL LABOUR

Angelo Soares Department of Organisation and Human Resources, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, Quebec

For a long time we believed it work, its organisation, and its effects was possible to leave our emotions on health. at the threshold of the workplace. Over the course of the last Rooted in western culture, this decade, there has been growing vision sees an opposition between interest in emotions at work. The emotion and reason and suppresses concept of emotional labour emotions in order to achieve (Hochschild, 1983) was the starting efficiency and productivity at work. point of this type of research. In this This Cartesian rationality also article, our objective is to manifests itself in analyses of work. understand a particular form of The “body“ and the “soul“ of the emotional expression by workers: worker are separated, simplifying at work. A strong and intense the complexity and heterogeneity of emotional expression, is an work processes and causes an essential and integral aspect of underestimation of the effects of human identity. It is therefore work on emotional and physical astonishing that so little has been well-being. published on the subject of tears As in all other human activity, and, more specifically, on tears at work sets the stage for the work. Do individuals cry at work? (re)production of different emotions: For what reasons? Do men and one is afraid of having an accident; women cry at work or because of of being ill because of work; or of work? losing one’s job. We are satisfied and To understand this problem, we proud of work well done, angry in use a qualitative approach based on the face of injustices at work, and 77 individual interviews with elated upon getting a promotion. workers of different profession in This emotional dimension certainly the service sector. We interviewed introduces complexity in the them over the last five years, in analysis of work and its relation to Montreal, within the context of physical and mental health. It also different research projects. In all provides the possibility of a more interviews, we posed questions accurate and just understanding of concerning crying at work. In the Soares 37

sample, different jobs in the service be aggressive towards those that sector are represented, including transgress rules, while women are supermarket cashiers, hairdressers, more likely to accomplish tasks nurses, and office employees. It is a while restraining aggression and preliminary analysis using elements toward others. Women of the sociology of emotions and the generally are given tasks that sociology of work in an effort to demand nurturing, tenderness, understand and reveal the sensitivity, and intuition. They are motivations and effects of tears at supposedly afraid of things that men work. are not supposed to fear and are often described as compassionate, EXPRESSING AND GENDERING charitable, agreeable, and kind. EMOTIONS AT WORK Furthermore, this sexual division of emotional labour exists between Work frequently demands the jobs and between workers in the management of emotions. same occupation: Hochschild defined this management of emotions as “The male hairdresser need only make “emotional labour”, that is, the a few compliments to the customer understanding, assessment, and and she is happy, while the [female] hairdresser cannot make these same management of one’s own emotions compliments. Therefore, it’s more and the emotions of others difficult for her. She must work (Hochschild, 1983 and 1993). For harder. While the male hairdresser, he instance, it is often necessary to goes to work simply with his smile at work even though it may compliments. The words that he says not be genuine and one may not will be half his work, it is half of his want to. The smile constitutes an success. Whil