Maternal Emotions at Work: A Case Study of Ireland and India

ABSTRACT Emotional experiences associated specifically with maternal status at work are explored in a comparative case study of Ireland and India. Twenty‐four mothers working in the creative industries in Ireland and the IT sector in India were interviewed. Findings note significant parallels in the mothers' emotional experiences at work despite distinctive cultural and employment contexts. Across both cases, the mothers felt pressure to suppress emotions at work. However, they noted their emotions about work did “leak” out. These emotions were often about the overlap of motherhood, mothering and work, but mostly they were expressed at home because such emotional “leaks” were not permitted at work. Both Indian and Irish mothers were also clear that there was an emotional penalty that accrued to them as a result of their maternal status. Both cohorts documented ongoing tensions and oscillations at the intersection of maternal emotions and work, which ultimately create an additional emotional burden for mothers stemming from their dual status as mothers and workers. The article finds that maternal emotion is a patterned response that is socially structured and organizationally consequential, which shapes how mothers understand themselves as workers and how they are evaluated within workplace contexts.