Gender in Call Centre Work: Gender-related Practices in Three Finnish Call Centre Organizations

The study aims to find out, first, what kinds of workplaces the call centres are from the gender perspective. Second, the ways in which gender is practised in customer service work by focusing on the interaction between the employees and the customers. Third, the ways in which gender is practised among the workers, between the management and the workers, and among the managers. The study is embedded in the existing call centre literature. The theoretical framework is also drawn from discussions on gender-related conceptualizations. The empirical analysis is based on ethnographic research material produced in three Finnish subcontractor call centres. The research findings show that the flat organizational hierarchy did not indicate better opportunities for women to enter managerial positions in the call centres. Men in general were highly valued and welcomed as employees. The gendered interaction patterns framed the ways in which gender was practised between the call centre workers and their customers. Gender had become profitable to sell, and gender was also embedded in the products.