After the " mental load", we are now hearing more and more about the " emotional load" which also affects women more.  What exactly does this " emotional load" consist of? Is it as gendered as we think ?  And how can organizations take up the subject ? We talk about it!

 " Manipulation of emotions ": an invisible skill

The concept of "emotional charge" was introduced by the American sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild in 1983 in order to reveal an invisible phenomenon in the workplace. By observing the new sectors of the service industries that require customer relations, health care, personal services, and education, Hocshild observed that some occupations required the "manipulation" of emotions as a central skill of the job.

This involves the display of specific affective signals such as friendliness, enthusiasm or patience, regardless of the actual emotional state of the workers. In addition, this emotional management translates into self-control, making it possible to respond primarily to the expectations of others, such as the suppression of negative emotions such as frustration or the repression of signals of anger, fear, disgust, etc.

A " feminine " skill?

However, this professional skill is not neutral since it is placed in a gendered societal context. Gender studies show that during the socialization process, little girls are more educated to express their feelings, to turn to others, while future men are taught more to repress their emotions to show a certain mental strength that is considered essential for ambition. Even if today these stereotypes are denounced, they continue to be implicitly conveyed through our norms and social culture.

Since the management of emotional load is perceived as "innate" to women, it is not included in training for the professions and the latter find themselves more often hired in positions that require it without always being well equipped to deal with it. Indeed, there are mostly women in the social, customer relations and training professions, up to 75% according to INSEE.

But how is this division of labor a marker of inequality? Philosopher and professor of education Nicole Mosconi explains that making certain skills invisible by considering them natural to women is accompanied by a stigmatization and a decrease in their value, compared to those associated with men. Feminized professions are therefore generally devalued, suffering from less social recognition and lower pay compared to professions predominantly held by men.

These inequalities are also present at the level of an organization, in which the emotional burden is often disproportionately distributed between female and male employees. It is mainly women who take responsibility for the emotional stabilization and well-being of the group through " glue work ", by carrying out varied but essential tasks that mobilize their time and energy. These can concern the mediation of conflicts, the organization of a fundraiser for a farewell party, or the decoration of the premises. These actions are often implicitly expected to be carried out by women, and they often do not elicit recognition.
 

Emotional work: an essential dimension of well-being at work

 According to psychology expert Daniel Goleman, emotional intelligence accounts for 80% of success in professional life. The ability to understand and welcome emotions is a determining factor in decision-making, interpersonal relationship management and resilience. It also ensures a more harmonious, productive and fulfilling work environment, and therefore promotes overall well-being.

However, if this emotional work is not carried out, if it is poorly distributed among employees or if it is too heavy, it can have harmful effects on the work. Emotional overload or emotional dissonance can contribute to increased psychosocial risks (psychological exhaustion, in particular) and to the deterioration of workers' mental health.
 

A collective issue that organizations must take up

 Managing the emotional load at work is not just an individual issue. It is truly a collective issue. If organizations become aware of the importance of emotional intelligence and recognize the weight of its burden on employees' mental health, it can be transformed into a beneficial resource for the entire organization. By approaching this subject through the prism of gender inequalities, and by developing management practices that are more inclusive and respectful of everyone's emotions, it is possible to create work environments where these are not only accepted, but valued and sanctioned by markers of progress (promotion, raise, bonuses, etc.).

In concrete terms, this means first of all that it is important and urgent to train all employees to welcome emotions. It seems particularly strategic to make management aware of this dimension and to equip them to manage the emotional load with a seriousness equivalent to that reserved for the workload that materializes in the time made available. Here, it is not a question of " giving time " but of " giving of oneself ". It is probably much more involving while being much less convertible in the form of numerical indicators. Despite this, it is advisable at the very least to engage in a regular conversation about the emotional charge, to treat it with professional consideration and to pay attention to the signs that could indicate that it is excessive.

Charlotte Foulon with Marie Donzel, for the EVE webmagazine