“I don’t want to give up my career goals… but my identity is worth so much more to me
Open Access Deposited” Emotional Labor and Digital Care Among Trans Workers in a Cisnormative Society
This study uses a grounded theory approach to analyze 31 posts and over 2,300 comments from Reddit communities built for transgender (trans) and gender non-conforming people. It investigates how users describe navigating workplace challenges amid broader societal and institutional pressures. Drawing on Arlie Hochschild’s theory of emotional labor, the analysis explores how emotional labor manifests in the lives of transgender and gender non-conforming people, not only through the regulation of emotions in workplace settings, but through transgender and gender non-conforming workers’ ongoing self-policing of their gender presentation within cisnormative work environments. While Hochschild primarily focused on emotional labor in customer-facing roles, this study examines the identity management work required for survival in workplaces where coworkers do not affirm or recognize non-cis identities. In this context, Reddit functions as a relatively anonymous platform that offers support so users can share their experiences without fear of direct repercussions. This digital space appears to operate in ways similar to in-person peer-led support groups, offering a unique form of community resilience. Rather than making universal claims, this study offers a situated contribution to previous literature through centering the lived realities of transgender and gender non-conforming people in the workplace. It also demonstrates how digital platforms emerge as critical spaces, highlighting the profound burden transgender and gender non-conforming people face at work. This study positions these digital support networks as vital tools of healing and resilience. Ultimately, it calls attention to the need for workplace structures that move beyond binary norms to affirm and support a broader range of gender experiences.
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