In 2021 accredited mortuary-science programmes churned out more than 1,500 embalmers and funeral directors. About 70% were women—and their share among first-year students is growing
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskLike graves in a forlorn cemetery, American burial traditions lay undisturbed for most of the 20th century. Interment was the standard practice, funeral homes were owned and run by families and most memorial-services directors were men. But traditions are changing.
In 2021 accredited mortuary-science programmes churned out more than 1,500 embalmers and funeral directors. About 70% were women—and their share among first-year students is growing. “When we think about who is a funeral director, we typically think white male. That is no longer the case,” says Leili McMurrough, president of Worsham College of Mortuary Science in Illinois and chair of the accreditation board for mortician schools.
What accounts for the sudden surge of women in America’s funeral parlours? The general explanation—offered by some morticians themselves—is that women are drawn to the work because they are more empathetic than men. That may be true to a certain extent, as studies support the generalisation, but empathy seems a better explanation for why women, having already opted to become funeral directors, are succeeding in the role.
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