Invisible skills, unequal burdens: a sociological agenda for recognising emotional labour in participatory research

Co-production and participatory research now occupy a prominent place within sociology and across neighbouring disciplines, framed as more inclusive and democratic forms of knowledge-making. Yet the emotional labour that sustains these collaborations often goes unrecognised. This article examines both the nature of that invisible labour and its unequal distribution, falling disproportionately on early-career and precariously employed researchers. Drawing on Hochschild’s sociology of emotional labour, Ahmed’s account of affective economies, and Fraser’s framework of recognition and redistribution, we argue that emotional labour is not peripheral to collaboration but one of its central sustaining mechanisms. As an ethical and epistemic practice embedded in the political economy of academic production, it requires institutional recognition and structural support. Using a composite vignette and researcher well-being resources, we propose four principles for emotionally sustainable research cultures. We argue that sociological analysis can make visible the inequalities, expectations, and affective dynamics shaping these collaborations and, in doing so, point towards more equitable and sustainable participatory research practice.