By: Karen Nelson
The history of women caring for the deceased is a long one, mentioned anciently in the Bible itself. Before the 19th century they were largely the ones that washed the dead, caring for them and clothing them. But when it became more of a business in the 19th century with undertakers becoming more prevalent, women were no longer in the forefront, but propriety and social decorum dictated that women took care of women for a long time.
Still by 1990, only 5% of funeral directors nationwide were women. Those numbers are changing especially since 2007 when many female caregivers in other professions such as nursing and social work during the recession found there was an appeal to becoming a funeral director. In the decade since then, the percent of funeral directors associated with the National Funeral Directors Association has almost doubled growing from 9 percent in 2007 to 17 percent in 2017. Still the trend promises to be more pronounced in the future. Today at the 58 accredited mortuary science programs 57% of the enrollment are women. Some are looking for a viable second job, others have been drawn to the field from a personal experience they have had while others think they offer a special skillset of communicating, nurturing, multi-tasking, and effectively working with the bereaved.
According to surveys conducted by Funeral Business Adviser magazine most of the family members who deal with the arranging of their loved one’s funeral are women. They relate well to a female funeral director who has the same eye for detail they do. Are the flowers, programs, casket, tributes tailored especially for their relative or loved one?
With special devices and training, the obstacle of lifting and carrying have been largely alleviated for the women funeral directors. With the trend to funerals being more a celebration of someone’s life rather than the more somber tones of the 1900’s, the skills of women can meet the needs of the bereaved to honor their deceased in a meaningful way.
In a 2015 Fortune magazine article, “Why Your Funeral Will Probably Be Run by a Woman,” author Anne Fisher quotes Kim Perry, who has been in the mortuary business for three decades, “Every mortuary school curriculum focuses heavily on courses in sociology and psychology, especially the psychology of grief because we spend 10% of our time with the decedent and the other 90 percent with the family.”
The funeral business in our nation is a $16 billion annual business employing 441,000 people. The role of women in the industry is growing and bright. Laurie Abraham, who works at Myers in Brigham City, first interned in high school at Myers and knew then that she wanted to be a funeral director. A recent article she wrote for the Utah Funeral Directors Association shows her attitude toward her work. She quoted Chris Jones, Mitchell’s Journey, “We are someone else’s tender mercy during their sacred journey through the funeral process." Laurie said she has remembered these words with each family she serves.
Sources:
National Funeral Directors Association: http://www.nfda.org/news/trends-in-funeral-service
Forbes Magazine: http://fortune.com/2015/08/20/funeral-directors-women/
Funeral Business Advisor Magazine: https://funeralbusinessadvisor.com/not-just-a-mans-world-more-women-becoming-funeral-directors/funeral-business-advisor
