Emotional Labour & Burnout Among Working Women in Danapur: A Psychological Exploration

Emotional labour has become a defining component of contemporary service and knowledge-based occupations, yet its psychological consequences for women in semi-urban Indian contexts remain underexplored. This study examines the relationship between emotional labour and burnout among 120 working women in Danapur, Bihar. Using a descriptive–correlational design, emotional labour was assessed through the Emotional Labour Scale (Brotheridge & Lee, 2003), while burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results indicate moderate to high levels of emotional labour, with surface acting emerging as the most frequently used and psychologically taxing strategy. Surface acting showed strong positive correlations with emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, and was the most significant predictor of overall burnout. In contrast, the expression of naturally felt emotions demonstrated a protective effect, negatively correlating with all burnout dimensions. Married women, customer-facing employees, and those working longer hours reported significantly higher emotional exhaustion, reflecting the combined influence of workplace demands and gendered domestic responsibilities. The study concludes that emotional labour is a substantial and often invisible contributor to burnout among working women in Danapur. Findings underscore the need for gender-sensitive organisational policies, emotion-focused training, and mental health support systems to mitigate burnout and promote well-being in emerging urban workplaces.