Definition:
Emotional labour is the work involved in managing, suppressing, or performing emotions in order to meet the expectations of a role, system, or interaction.
Usage Context:
Seen in care work, service industries, customer support, education, healthcare, creative labour, advocacy, and bureaucratic or institutional interactions.
Critical Note:
Emotional labour is frequently treated as natural disposition rather than work, particularly when performed by marginalised groups. When unrecognised or uncompensated, it contributes to burnout, exploitation, and uneven power dynamics by demanding emotional regulation as a condition of participation or survival.
Related Terms:
Care Economy, Burnout, Precarious Labour, Emotional Extraction, Administrative Violence