"At its most basic level, all of this emotional labour is saying to another human being “you matter...."

“At its most basic level, all of this emotional labour is saying to another human being “you matter. I will take my time to show you that you matter.” And maintaining that glue is something that devolves mainly onto women, 24 hours a day. It feels like most men are taught (ex- or implicitly) to do emotional work only when it gets them something they want now, whereas most women are taught to do emotional work as part of an ongoing exchange that benefits everyone.”

- Emotional Labor: The MetaFilter Thread Condensed  
(via podencos)