Flight Attendants in Commercial Aviation: What Construction of Work-Life Balance with the Articulation of Investments between Work and Family?

Résumé En

Our proposal is built on our research on the aviation sector (civil and commercial aviation) in major airlines in Europe (France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Spain) and Canada. As we made the research before 2020, we will present the analysis of data collected before the covid-19 pandemic. Our communication focuses on the work of Commercial Flight Attendants (hostesses, steward, cabin chief) and is based mainly on the analysis of the 100 qualitative interviews and also on some elements of an online survey, several direct observations of the work as well as analysis of legal documents internal to companies. Our presentation will concentrate mainly on three countries (Canada, France, Germany).The airline sector and in particular the work of the commercial crew (flight attendants) is the subject of little research in social sciences, in particular with international comparisons. Flight attendants’ work is characterized by atypical schedules and travel patterns, which have strong consequences on lifestyles, varying according to gender and family situation. The work is dependent upon the complex organization of intensified air traffic, technical rules, safety / security at work, commercial flight service, in addition to atypical working hours and jet lag (according to type of mobility). The challenges of such work, characterized by working conditions with strong constraints, are important in terms of work-life reconciliation. Even if working hours are accepted by staff as an inherent condition of their work, the balance of social times is often difficult and varies according to family and gender situations.In general, the sector is considered a feminine sector of work (some 60% are women, depending on the companies) but more and more men take on the positions of steward, purser and chief purser.In our presentation, we will analyse the supporting roles of several actors, the articulation of investments between work and family, in a “work-life balance” perspective. We will compare the different situations experienced between women and men, and in several countries.-Thus, we analyse the articulation of work and private / family life with the following points: the importance of the schedules (also depending on the flight times); the supporting role of the family (spouse, children, parents) and of professionals (childcare); the possible role of certain colleagues (cabin chief) and of the companies (accompanying measures). We will also analyse the gender roles within the family with regard to this profession.-In addition, we analyse the emotional involvement at work. In response to the various "passenger demands", the work relies on emotional work, sometimes in a job close to care (vulnerable passengers). Hochschild (1983) constructed her concept of "emotional work" from analyses of the work of cabin crew and we pursue on this.Finally, we show that work-life balance depends on supports (personal, professional), on gendered life roles, and on the involvement at work - in particular emotionally.