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Women in the Funeral Industry

Tania Tack • October 11, 2016

We ask all of you to reflect on how the women in your life are treated. Do they receive equal pay? Do they have equal opportunities? Are they free of prejudice? Harassment? Are they ridiculed for being female? With blatant sexism still so prevalent in today’s society, we still need feminism…for every girl around the world.

Working in funeral service is no different. Funeral Service is a field traditionally dominated by men. As women started working within the industry, they were met with opposition.

‘I’ve had clergy refuse to do funerals with me because they don’t think I’m competent enough because of my gender.’
– Jean Gorham

A Manitoba Funeral Director, Shannon Jackson recalls being looked up and down and asked, “What’s a pretty little thing like you going to do here?”

Why were women initially discouraged from this profession?

It is believed that women could not handle the physical demands of the job. There is a great deal of lifting. Also, many may not realize that funeral service is a very stressful job and thought women couldn’t handle the stress.

Times are Changing

Luckily times are changing. As of 2011, 34% of jobs in the funeral industry were held by women, a staggering increase of 15% since 1991. Educational programs across Canada have also seen a drastic increase of women interested in studying funeral service. Classes now consist of approximately a 75% female to 25% male students – a complete reversal of the ratio from about 20 years ago. As Jeffrey Caldwell, an instructor from Humber College states: “Whomever sang “It’s a Man’s World” certainly couldn’t sing it any longer in our industry!”

What makes Funeral Service Appealing to Women?

Funeral Service is a field that calls for empathy. Women are also typically more nurturing and detail-oriented. Women have been known to choose funeral service as a second career after holding jobs in social work, nursing, human resources and management. Women are not only bringing their ability to foster long-standing standing relationships to the field, but they are also contributing job experience and knowledge.

Visit our staff page to view the remarkable women on our team and the men fortunate enough to work alongside them. Basic Funerals fosters an environment that believes in equality and a safe workplace for all.

Stand by the women in your life. Encourage them to pursue their goals and be what they want to be….even if it’s working within the funeral industry.

The post Women in the Funeral Industry appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Why Do Funeral Directors Ask About Pacemakers?

October 7, 2022
Funeral Directors routinely ask families during the arrangement process about pacemakers. Standard safety precautions are in place because of the explosive potential of pacemakers when heated. Pacemakers explode during the cremation process because of the rapid formation of gas which bursts the pacemaker’s casing. An explosion during the cremation process could cause serious damage to the crematorium chamber, as […] The post Why Do Funeral Directors Ask About Pacemakers? appeared first on Basic Funerals.

The Ritual of Spring Burials In Local Cemeteries

By Tania Tack • April 29, 2022
When a death occurs in the winter months, it is quite common that the burial can’t take place until the spring. Our region has long, cold winters and this hinders a cemetery’s ability to conduct burials due to the frozen ground. It is not unusal for many families in our smaller communities thoughout Ontario to […] The post The Ritual of Spring Burials In Local Cemeteries appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Death and Taxes

By Tania Tack • March 24, 2022
Tax rules are often complicated and never fun. In the case of pre-arrangements that is no different. When you pre-arrange your funeral there are some things to consider from a tax perspective that we hope to cover here. We will do our best, but unfortunately, we are not accountants and can’t give you personal advice […] The post Death and Taxes appeared first on Basic Funerals.

The Grave Woman

By Tania Tack • December 10, 2020
The funeral industry is changing. Catapulting that change are women like The Grave Woman, Joél Simone Anthony. She is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but is making waves all over the United States with her alternative approach to funeral service. We had the pleasure of speaking with her and learning more about her work. Joél Simone Anthony […] The post The Grave Woman appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Intestate: Dying Without A Will and How it Impacts Funeral Arrangements

By Tania Tack • November 24, 2020
Living without a will may relieve a person from having to think about their own mortality. Living without a will may also save a person some time and money. However, dying without a will can cause grave challenges and obstacles for those left behind. Dying in intestate means that the deceased person did not leave a Will. […] The post Intestate: Dying Without A Will and How it Impacts Funeral Arrangements appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Prepare Your Estate: Your Executor Will Thank You

By Tania Tack • November 10, 2020
Being appointed an Executor is often seen as an honour, but it can also be an extremely daunting task. The person selected to look after estate matters is often also likely to be the person grieving the most. In an effort to alleviate the stress associated with being an Executor or Administrator, we have compiled […] The post Prepare Your Estate: Your Executor Will Thank You appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Basic Funerals Awarded Best Rated Funeral Home

By Tania Tack • August 31, 2020
Basic Funerals has been listed as one of the Top 3 Best-Rated Funeral Homes. We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve such welcoming communities. We would not be considered ‘best-rated’ without you! Recognition for Excellence Our team was recognized for providing consistent high quality services in our area of business. We were reviewed by […] The post Basic Funerals Awarded Best Rated Funeral Home appeared first on Basic Funerals.

6 Ways Funerals (Can Still) Help Mourners Grieve

By Tania Tack • July 9, 2020
By guest blogger, Carrie Fawcett: Celebrant Ceremonies like funerals and memorials are intended to both honour the life of a loved one and meet the needs of those left behind. If current public health limits have you question if it is still possible to have a “good” funeral, I encourage you to see those limits […] The post 6 Ways Funerals (Can Still) Help Mourners Grieve appeared first on Basic Funerals.

Repatriation: How Covid-19 is Keeping Us From Home

By Tania Tack • June 12, 2020
Repatriation: How Covid-19 is Keeping Us From Home The long-lasting Covid-19 pandemic still has an impact on how the death industry is able to conduct services. Funeral and memorial services are still limited to small groups of 10 attendees and burials are to happen as soon as possible. Many funeral providers have also implemented new […] The post Repatriation: How Covid-19 is Keeping Us From Home appeared first on Basic Funerals.

The Healing Benefits of Meditation: Introducing Headspace.com

By Tania Tack • May 25, 2020
Basic Funerals and Headspace Promotion Basic Funerals has always worked hard to go beyond the funeral. We care about the families we serve. We understand that these difficult times make it even harder to grieve the death of a loved one. For this reason, we have coordinated an offer with Headspace.com to provide our families […] The post The Healing Benefits of Meditation: Introducing Headspace.com appeared first on Basic Funerals.
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