Gender Effects on Emotional Labor in Seoul Metropolitan Area

Abstract

Emotional labor is essential to public service at the street level. And there is evidence that it contributes to job satisfaction. But the interaction of gender with performance of emotional labor remains a conundrum, and more is known about the U.S. context than other cultures. To sort through this in a Confucian culture, we investigate how gender moderates the relationship between emotional labor, job satisfaction, and turnover intent. The study employs a multigroup structural modeling analysis using a survey of local government employees in Seoul, South Korea. Results indicate that for both women and men, authentically expressed emotion contributes to job satisfaction. But when workers must express an emotion they do not actually feel, the level of job satisfaction varies according to gender. While it is not associated with either job satisfaction or turnover intent for men, it affects both for women. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.