Abstract
The expression ‘emotional labour’ is frequently used in discussions among women, and appears all the more in scientific literature. It has never been part of the official language of work, it is a new term. In this paper I assert that the most frequent meanings ‘emotional labour’ assumes identify its basis and global structure. Furthermore I show that ‘emotional labour’ can be conceived as having an autonomous status comparable to ‘manual’ and ‘intellectual’ labour. As a result, remarkable consequences for JOB analysis and evaluation can be envisaged.