Review of Women’s Studies 21 (2): 72-95
GENDER MATTERS
IN THE CALL CENTER INDUSTRY:
A REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON THE EFFECTS
OF CALL CENTER WORK ON WOMEN
Leavides G. Domingo-Cabarrubias
Abstract
The dramatic increase in call center jobs has spawned numerous research
about this industry and its effects on workers around the world. This
review of literature covers some of these works and examines whether
the gender-differentiated impact of call center work has been adequately
explored. While men and women may be similarly exposed to the same
stressful working environment and demanding work load, the effects are
not necessarily the same. Earlier studies parenthetically cite specific effects
of call center work on women such as health problems of pregnant and
lactating mothers, safety concerns of women working at night, as well as
conflicts between working hours and the demands of task performance
and domestic and family responsibilities. A highly stressful job, coupled
with graveyard shifts and unpredictable schedules, can have significant
effects on women’s traditional caring roles at home as well as on the
gender division of labor within the household.
Introduction
On December 4, 2010, the Contact Center Association of the
Philippines proudly announced that that Philippines has become
the call center of the world, with around 350,000 Filipinos working
in call centers, against India’s 330,000 workforce (Philippine Daily
Inquirer 2010). The same news article also reported that according to
IBM’s Global Locations Trend Annual Report, the Philippines has
overtaken India as the world leader in business support functions
©2012 UP Center for Women’s Studies, University of the Philippines
ISSN 0117-9489