What is it about?
Two-thirds of agents in the global call centre industry are women, and this article offers a new perspective on why this might be the case. Focusing on the language agents are expected to use with customers, we show not only that females are thought to be naturally good at customer care, but also that they are more rule-compliant. This is significant in a work environment where there is an abundance of rules to follow and targets to meet.
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Why is it important?
The findings are important because they show that females may be over-recruited to the call centre industry. While being preferred over male candidates may be an advantage for those women who want and need the job, it excludes men who might have been equally good. In the long term, it may also lead to women being disproportionately recruited to these jobs that are notorious for their low pay and stressful working conditions. This is a worrying trend that is only likely to continue given the expansion of call centres.
Perspectives
I hope this article makes people reflect on and question the gendered nature of many jobs and the prestige and pay associated with them. For instance, why is it the case that job types where females are overrepresented (such as call centre work, nursing, caring and teaching) tend to pay less than jobs in which males are overrepresented (construction, policing, etc.)? I'd challenge anyone to make a convincing argument for why this should continue to be the case.
Anna Kristina Hultgren
Open University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: New perspectives on language and gender: Linguistic prescription and compliance in call centres, Language in Society, September 2017, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s0047404517000574.
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