New research from the University of Bath and the University of Melbourne reveals that mothers carry the majority of household mental load, managing 71% of tasks. This imbalance is especially acute during the holiday season, prompting calls for fairer sharing to alleviate stress and improve family dynamics.
The holiday season, with its myriad of tasks from planning dinners to choosing gifts, often underscores a broader trend affecting families year-round: the uneven distribution of household mental work. According to a study from the University of Bath and the University of Melbourne, mothers overwhelmingly bear what is known as the “mental load,” managing 71% of these tasks compared to their male counterparts.
The Mental Load in Focus
The term “mental load” refers to the cognitive labor involved in keeping a household running smoothly. This includes planning, scheduling and organizing a multitude of tasks essential for family life, from arranging childcare to managing finances.
The study, published in the Journal of Marriage & Family, analyzed data from 3,000 U.S. parents to quantify the extent of this disparity.
The researchers found that mothers not only handle the bulk of daily chores, such as cleaning and childcare (79% vs. fathers’ 37%), but they also engage significantly in episodic tasks like financial management and home repairs.
Key Findings
- Mothers’ Overload: On average, mothers handle 71% of household tasks that require mental effort.
- Different Responsibilities: Mothers take on 79% of daily chores, while fathers focus more on episodic tasks like finances and home repairs.
- Misjudged Contributions: Fathers often overestimate their share of the mental load, seeing it as equally shared even when it is not.
- Single Parents: Single mothers and fathers bear the entire mental load, with single fathers shouldering significantly more compared to those in partnered relationships.
The Impact on Family and Career
“This kind of work is often unseen, but it matters. It can lead to stress, burnout and even impact women’s careers. In many cases, resentment can build, creating strain between couples,” Ana Catalano Weeks, a senior lecturer in the Department of Politics, Languages & International Studies at the University of Bath, said in a news release.
The study points to broader implications for women’s professional lives, with research from Gallup indicating that working mothers are twice as likely as fathers to consider reducing their work hours or exiting the workforce altogether because of parental responsibilities.
A Call to Action
“Going forward, the challenge for governments and employers who care about attracting the top talent is how to create policies that are supportive of both mothers and fathers sharing the unpaid work at home. One policy that comes to mind is well-paid, gender-neutral parental leave – which both the UK and US are way behind on compared to the rest of Europe,” Catalano Weeks added.
The researchers advocate for families to take proactive steps in addressing these imbalances. They suggest starting conversations about the mental load and developing plans to share these responsibilities more equitably.
“We hope our research sparks conversations about sharing the mental load more fairly — something that benefits everyone,” concluded Catalano Weeks.
As the holiday season approaches, this research serves as a timely reminder of the often-invisible labor that mothers carry. Families are encouraged to recognize and redistribute this mental load, ensuring a more balanced and less stressful environment for all.