Women Now Make Up 75% of Mortuary Graduates — and They're Rewriting the Death Industry

Keeping Up Appearances – The women taking over the funeral industry

Female enrollment in mortuary science programs has surged from 5% to roughly 75% of recent graduating classes over four decades. A journalist interviews three women in deathcare — an embalming apprentice, a veteran embalmer, and others — to understand the shift. They push back on the stereotype of the greedy mortician, describe embalming as part science, part alchemy, and explain why the work draws them: a sense of purpose in the worst moments.