Abstract
There has been an increasing focus on ‘work as calling’ in recent years, but relatively few empirical sociological accounts that shed light on the experience of performing calling work. Although callings have generally been referred to as positive and fulfilling to the individual and as beneficial to society, researchers have also suggested there is a ‘dark side’ to calling, and have drawn attention to the potential conflicts and tensions inherent in the pursuit of calling, especially for women. This article explores these themes through the first-hand experiences of one woman who felt called to work as a priest. Her narrative illustrates how callings draw the individual irresistibly towards a particular line of work. It also shows how calling work can be both satisfying individually and beneficial to the wider community but, at the same time, involves sacrifice, compromise and a willingness to defer personal rewards.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 866-874 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Work, Employment and Society |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 5 |
Early online date | 6 Mar 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2015 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Conflicts in women’s callings
- Religious work
- Vocation
- Women priests
- Women’s callings
- Work intensity of callings