Here’s Why Morgues Are More Likely to Hire Women

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Debunking theories on why women make better morticians

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IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Women can handle the emotional and physical demands.

2 Women may be less likely to disrespect corpses.

3 The Bottom Line

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Co-authored by Aly Rusciano

Last Updated: December 18, 2023 Fact Checked

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You’re scrolling through TikTok when you come across an interesting discussion: why are women primarily hired to work in morgues? This gets your wheels turning, and we can certainly see why! Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time someone’s asked this question. Take a look at some of the theories and rumors on why morgues may prefer female morticians below.

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1

Women can handle the emotional and physical demands.

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1. Working in a morgue or being a mortician is no easy feat. Many women tend to take on this physically and emotionally demanding job because they have the empathy and dexterity to do so. Statistically speaking, women are known for being more empathetic than men, giving them the ability to comfort grieving families and handle sensitive topics with ease. Along with this, women are also typically more agile than men, which allows them to handle human remains with care.

   • Some may argue that women have a better eye for detail than men and are more organized. This may give them a leg up in the field, especially when keeping and storing records.
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2

Women may be less likely to disrespect corpses.

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1. Many have theorized that females primarily work in morgues because they’re less likely to engage in inappropriate behavior with dead bodies. In March 2023, Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist, tweeted, “The rabbit hole I just went down after learning why morgues prefer to hire women. SMH…” This tweet sparked a social media conversation and had others digging into the history.
   
   As TikTok user “coyoteannie” points out, men have been known to deal with necrophilia throughout history. In a 1989 study, researchers found that 92% of necrophiles are male. Even so, necrophilia is an incredibly rare disorder with very few cases reported worldwide. Therefore, the theory that women are primarily hired as morticians because of necrophilia is all speculation. In other words, a rumor.

   • Necrophilia is the sexual attraction to corpses, and it’s been proven that necrophiles often choose careers that put them in contact with corpses (such as jobs within a morgue or funeral home).
   • Since March 2023, Gay’s original tweet and several TikTok responses to the initial remark have been removed.

3

The Bottom Line

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1. Even with these theories, women are still out numbered in the mortician field. In 2023, 61.2% of morticians are male while 38.8% are female. Since 2010, the number of female morticians has increased. Many speculate that this influx in female morticians is a result of trying to curb corpse violations; however, nothing has been officially proven or stated to support this statement. Women are often statistically considered more charismatic, empathetic, organized, and gentler than men. While this is rather stereotypical, from a social standpoint, it may play a part in the hiring process and give them a leg up in the field. At the end of the day, none of these reasons or theories are set in stone—males still out number females in the mortuary field. Yes, women may speculatively be less likely to disrespect a corpse or make administrative mistakes, but that doesn’t nullify them from the behavior.

   • A lot goes into becoming a mortician, and the qualifications of anyone pursuing a career in mortuary shouldn’t be disregarded because of their sex.
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