Get ready to delve into the fascinating world of emotional labour in politics! In this week’s TL;DR, we explore the groundbreaking findings from a recent article published in The British Journal of Politics and International Relations. So let’s dive into the first empirical study of emotional labour among elected politicians!
Despite progress in understanding the psychology of political elites and legislative behaviour, a critical area remains that has not been fully explored – the emotional labour involved in political office and its impact on politicians. Emotional labour, in a nutshell, is the ability to manage one’s emotions considering the job tasks; for politics, this means the ability to control the work of representation, considering a balanced level of empathy towards the constituencies we represent. This insightful study, drawing unique survey data collected in the summer of 2019 from more than 500 UK politicians, delves into the inherent emotional challenges intertwined with politics and investigates how emotional labour influences politicians’ well-being.
“The research reveals that emotional labour is a common feature of “working” as an elected politician. Interestingly, women in democratic offices often engage in emotionally intensive tasks more regularly than men, yet they also feel more skilled in managing emotional labour. Nonetheless, the research reveals potential challenges, as emotional labour, particularly when involving”false-face acting,” may lead to increased burnout symptoms.”The research shows that emotional labour is a common feature of “working” as an elected politician. Interestingly, women in democratic offices often engage in emotionally intensive tasks more regularly than men, yet they also feel more skilled in managing emotional labour. Nonetheless, the research reveals potential challenges, as emotional labour, particularly when involving “false-face acting,” may lead to increased burnout symptoms.
Implications for party politics:
“In party politics, the study’s results raise two crucial points. Firstly, they highlight that politics shares similarities with other high-intensity service-oriented professions, both in the type of labour demanded from its” employee” and the psychological toll it takes on their occupational well-being. Second, while” absence behaviour” and” time abuse” are used as coping methods in other professions, the commitments arising from holding political office, particularly in national legislatures, make such coping strategies impractical. Moreover, peer support can be risky in politics, as it is perceived as a sign of political vulnerability.
“What else? Based on its findings, the study also contends that the gendered nature of politics exposes women to inflated emotional critiques and expectations, intensifying the” status shield” protecting men. This discrepancy highlights the importance of emotional labour as a potentially detrimental outcome of informal institutions (or, in this case, traditional gender identities and roles) impacting political work.”What else? Based on its findings, the study also contends that the gendered nature of politics exposes women to inflated emotional critiques and expectations, intensifying the “status shield” protecting men. This discrepancy highlights the importance of emotional labour as a potentially detrimental outcome of informal institutions (or, in this case, traditional gender identities and roles) impacting political work.
Consequently, if emotional labour is an inherent aspect of democratic politics and politicians lack access to typical informal coping mechanisms, the study provides a compelling argument for political institutions to provide the necessary support and training. Affective training in interpersonal emotion work could play a pivotal role in protecting the individual well-being of politicians at all tiers of governance.