I Was Interviewed for Research About The Mental Load. This Is What I Said.
Recently I participated in a university research project about women and the mental load. It’s a concept that I find endlessly fascinating and multi-layered so I jumped at the chance to put my two cents worth in.
The idea of the mental load first rose to prominence as a rallying cry from women fed up with their male partners not doing their fair share. It shone a light on the invisible labor associated with keeping a household and family running.
The mental load is not just about the physical tasks, but the overseeing of them. It involves anticipating needs, identifying options, making decisions and monitoring progress.
What makes the mental load so maddeningly difficult to grapple with is its invisibility. It can look like two people are doing an equal amount of work but one of those people is doing a lot more because the responsibility for getting things done rests with them. It’s why “just get a cleaner” is never the right answer.
The invisibility of the mental load means it is largely unacknowledged by those who do not carry it. Carrying the mental load is the inescapable burden of knowing that if you don’t keep track of things, no-one else will. You…
