The Invisible Workload of Women

In a culture that for women glorifies perfection, it can feel unnerving to consider that our actions or ourselves could be "good enough". For most women (and some men) that is an impossible concept to make peace with as they constantly beat themselves up to do better and better.

The women I talk to in animal-related fields are exhausted and often overwhelmed. Yes animal-related fields are challenging and emotional and require our best selves. But that's not the entire story of why women are drained. Partly to blame is all of the unpaid, invisible and unnoticed work women do to maintain their families, households and communities. That is the Invisible Workload of Women. Tune in!

Emotional labor refers to employees having to suppress or discount their feelings at work in order to appease others. This may be around veterinary clients, someone surrendering a pet at your shelter, or even in a corporate setting where rules or guidelines have been put into place about what is acceptable and not acceptable despite how the other person may be behaving.