The Average Woman Is Responsible for Nearly Three-Quarters of Her Family’s “Mental Load”

The “mental load” is a term that refers to domestic cognitive labor – the thinking and planning that must be done prior to physical work in order to keep a household functioning. According to a recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, women are taking on the bulk of their families’ mental load.

The authors of the study conducted a 21-item survey with a sample of 3,000 parents in the United States to determine each participants’ perceived share of their household’s mental load regarding both daily tasks, such as family well-being, and episodic tasks, such as household maintenance. According to their analysis, the authors found that mothers carry on average, 71 percent of their families’ mental load. The cognitive labor of fathers was primarily centered around appliance and car maintenance and financial tracking.

In future studies, the authors believe research should focus on understanding the full scope of domestic cognitive labor, including differences across intersectional identities. They theorize that different categories of domestic cognitive labor are unlikely to be equally intensive, suggesting additional research is needed to measure the long-term effects on work-family strain, mental health, and burn-out.

The research team included scholars from the University of Bath in England and the University of Melbourne in Australia.