The Managed Heart

The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling by Arlie Russell Hochschild was published in 1983 during a transformative period in the labor market characterized by significant social and economic changes. This era saw an unprecedented rise in women’s participation in the workforce and a shift toward a service-oriented economy, both of which form the backdrop for Hochschild’s exploration of emotional labor.

The 1980s marked a pivotal moment for women in the workforce. Following the feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s, more women than ever entered the labor market, challenging traditional gender roles and expectations. By 1983, the rate of women’s participation in the labor force had increased dramatically. This rise was fueled by various factors, including greater access to higher education, legal reforms such as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, and the increasing availability of birth control, which allowed women to plan their careers and families more effectively. These societal shifts enabled women to aspire to and achieve greater economic independence, as their growing presence in professional and managerial roles reflected.

Concurrently, the US economy shifted away from manufacturing and toward service industries. The decline in manufacturing jobs and the expansion of service-oriented roles underscored the importance of emotional labor. Jobs in sectors such as healthcare, hospitality, and customer service required employees to manage their emotions and provide a pleasant experience for clients and customers. Hochschild’s work captures this evolution by examining how these roles often demanded a form of labor that went beyond physical or cognitive tasks to include the management and commodification of emotions.

In addition, the early 1980s brought economic challenges, including a severe recession that heightened job competition and job insecurity. In this climate, the ability to perform emotional labor became a critical skill, often seen as necessary for job retention and career advancement. Hochschild’s analysis highlights how workers, especially women, were expected to display certain emotions, such as cheerfulness and calmness, as part of their professional roles, even when they did not genuinely feel these emotions. This expectation placed an additional burden on women, who were already navigating the complexities of balancing work and family responsibilities.

Hochschild’s concept of emotional labor resonated deeply with the experiences of many women in the workforce during this time. The book delves into how women were socialized to perform emotional labor both at home and at work, often without recognition or adequate compensation. This dual burden reflected broader societal norms that expected women to manage the emotional well-being of those around them, a task that their professional roles increasingly formalized.

The publication of The Managed Heart coincided with a growing academic interest in the sociology of emotions. Scholars were beginning to explore how social structures shaped emotions and how they, in turn, influenced social interactions and institutions. Hochschild’s work contributed significantly to this field by providing deep analysis of how emotional labor was gendered and commodified in the context of capitalist economies. Her insights into the emotional experiences of workers highlighted the often-overlooked aspects of labor that were critical to the functioning of the service economy.

Thus, the historical context of the early 1980s, characterized by the rise of women in the workforce, the shift toward a service-based economy, and economic challenges, provided fertile ground for the author’s exploration of emotional labor. The Managed Heart captured the evolving nature of work and its impact on workers’ emotional lives, offering a groundbreaking perspective that continues to influence sociological research and discussions on gender, work, and emotions.