Mothers bear the brunt of the 'mental load,' managing 7 in 10 household tasks

cloven hooves The Personal Is Political Everyday Sexism Article Mothers bear the brunt of the 'mental load,' managing 7 in 10 household tasks

Article Mothers bear the brunt of the 'mental load,' managing 7 in 10 household tasks

Article Mothers bear the brunt of the 'mental load,' managing 7 in 10 household tasks

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512

Dec 14 2024, 12:55 PM

#1

University of Bath, December 12 2024.

https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/mothers-bear-the-brunt-of-the-mental-load-managing-7-in-10-household-tasks/

Quote:The study, conducted in the US, found that mothers take on seven in ten (71%) of all household mental load tasks.

Quote:New research from the University of Bath and the University of Melbourne, published in the Journal of Marriage & Family, reveals that mothers overwhelmingly carry [the] “mental load” while dads often take a back seat. And it’s not just during Christmas – this imbalance happens every day of the year.

The “mental load,” also known as “cognitive household labour” refers to the thinking work needed to keep family life running smoothly. This includes scheduling, planning, and organising tasks.

The study, conducted in the US, found that mothers take on seven in ten (71%) of all household mental load tasks. These tasks range from planning meals and arranging activities to managing household finances.”

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Clover

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Dec 14 2024, 12:55 PM #1

University of Bath, December 12 2024.

https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/mothers-bear-the-brunt-of-the-mental-load-managing-7-in-10-household-tasks/

Quote:The study, conducted in the US, found that mothers take on seven in ten (71%) of all household mental load tasks.

Quote:New research from the University of Bath and the University of Melbourne, published in the Journal of Marriage & Family, reveals that mothers overwhelmingly carry [the] “mental load” while dads often take a back seat. And it’s not just during Christmas – this imbalance happens every day of the year.

The “mental load,” also known as “cognitive household labour” refers to the thinking work needed to keep family life running smoothly. This includes scheduling, planning, and organising tasks.

The study, conducted in the US, found that mothers take on seven in ten (71%) of all household mental load tasks. These tasks range from planning meals and arranging activities to managing household finances.”

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komorebi
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde

165

Dec 16 2024, 2:04 AM

#2

Related comic that introduced this concept to a wider audience in 2017. (Guess not much has changed in the last *checks watch* 7 years...)

komorebi

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde

Dec 16 2024, 2:04 AM #2

Related comic that introduced this concept to a wider audience in 2017. (Guess not much has changed in the last *checks watch* 7 years...)

Clover
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512

Dec 16 2024, 10:54 AM

#3

(Dec 16 2024, 2:04 AM)komorebi Related comic that introduced this concept to a wider audience in 2017. (Guess not much has changed in the last *checks watch* 7 years...)

This comic was very impactful to me when I first saw it, because it was a concept I was feeling but unable to articulate with my boyfriend. I shared it, and since then I felt a little more confident in being able to point out it was an issue. At some point, I started being short and would snap "I'm not a fucking calendar, I'm not fucking Siri." After enough of that, he now actually uses a shared calendar, like puts events in it himself, wow amazing lol (the bar is on the floor). I basically decided to stop being "helpful" in regards to the mental load, when I realized how one-sided it was.

It's like there's weaponized incompetence, and then there's like, "willful incompetence", or something. Where it's just easier for a man to just ask his female parter what to do/what needs to be done instead of just keep it in mind or do it himself, and he just hopes neither him nor his partner realizes/acknowledges the extra labor being put on the woman. Refusing to play manager/calendar/Siri is an important first step.

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Clover

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Dec 16 2024, 10:54 AM #3

(Dec 16 2024, 2:04 AM)komorebi Related comic that introduced this concept to a wider audience in 2017. (Guess not much has changed in the last *checks watch* 7 years...)

This comic was very impactful to me when I first saw it, because it was a concept I was feeling but unable to articulate with my boyfriend. I shared it, and since then I felt a little more confident in being able to point out it was an issue. At some point, I started being short and would snap "I'm not a fucking calendar, I'm not fucking Siri." After enough of that, he now actually uses a shared calendar, like puts events in it himself, wow amazing lol (the bar is on the floor). I basically decided to stop being "helpful" in regards to the mental load, when I realized how one-sided it was.

It's like there's weaponized incompetence, and then there's like, "willful incompetence", or something. Where it's just easier for a man to just ask his female parter what to do/what needs to be done instead of just keep it in mind or do it himself, and he just hopes neither him nor his partner realizes/acknowledges the extra labor being put on the woman. Refusing to play manager/calendar/Siri is an important first step.

Kozlik's regular member account. 🍀🐐

komorebi
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde

165

Dec 16 2024, 1:55 PM

#4

I had a similar awakening when I first read The Politics of Housework (seriously, I cannot recommend this enough) and was with my previous male partner (we broke up years ago, thank goodness!). Realizing that he was using the same stupid, tired excuses on me to avoid housework that a woman had listed in an essay written over forty years ago was my most clear-eyed awakening to conceptualizing women as a class of people, not just separate individuals, oppressed by patriarchy.

komorebi

“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde

Dec 16 2024, 1:55 PM #4

I had a similar awakening when I first read The Politics of Housework (seriously, I cannot recommend this enough) and was with my previous male partner (we broke up years ago, thank goodness!). Realizing that he was using the same stupid, tired excuses on me to avoid housework that a woman had listed in an essay written over forty years ago was my most clear-eyed awakening to conceptualizing women as a class of people, not just separate individuals, oppressed by patriarchy.

Clover
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512

Dec 21 2024, 3:20 PM

#5

(Dec 16 2024, 1:55 PM)komorebi I had a similar awakening when I first read The Politics of Housework (seriously, I cannot recommend this enough) and was with my previous male partner (we broke up years ago, thank goodness!). Realizing that he was using the same stupid, tired excuses on me to avoid housework that a woman had listed in an essay written over forty years ago was my most clear-eyed awakening to conceptualizing women as a class of people, not just separate individuals, oppressed by patriarchy.

Woah, I've never read that paper, it's based af. You're right, 40 years later and it's still as relevant as ever for so many women. 😩

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Clover

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Dec 21 2024, 3:20 PM #5

(Dec 16 2024, 1:55 PM)komorebi I had a similar awakening when I first read The Politics of Housework (seriously, I cannot recommend this enough) and was with my previous male partner (we broke up years ago, thank goodness!). Realizing that he was using the same stupid, tired excuses on me to avoid housework that a woman had listed in an essay written over forty years ago was my most clear-eyed awakening to conceptualizing women as a class of people, not just separate individuals, oppressed by patriarchy.

Woah, I've never read that paper, it's based af. You're right, 40 years later and it's still as relevant as ever for so many women. 😩

Kozlik's regular member account. 🍀🐐

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