According to a study, the double burden of paid and unpaid work at home leads to a deterioration in the mental health of women.
- The household mental load is a principle of sociology dealing with the cognitive load carried by adults, often women, in the context of the management of the household on a daily basis.
- According to INSEE: “among people with at least one minor child, women spend on average 1h34 daily taking care of children (compared to 43 minutes for men) and devote 3h13 to household chores (compared to 1h12)” .
The care and attention given to the family, household chores, often assumed by women, constitute work in itself – unpaid – which is too often trivialized, while the impact on women’s lives is obvious.
Disproportionate responsibilities
Indeed, not only do women regularly sacrifice office hours and sometimes their careers to fulfill their disproportionate responsibilities at home, but according to researchers, this additional work, which entails a proven economic penalty, also comes at a cost in terms of mental health.
A study – the first of its kind – published in the Lancet Public Health by researchers at the University of Melbourne collated and assessed existing data on the association between unpaid work and mental health.
Of the 14 studies – totaling more than 66,800 participants worldwide – five looked at unpaid work (including care), nine looked at time spent on household chores and, of these, four also looked at child care. In 11 of the 14 studies reviewed, women reported an increase in symptoms of depression or psychological distress with increasing demand for unpaid work. In men, only three of 12 studies reported a negative association.
In more than 35 countries
“We found substantial gender differences in exposure to unpaid work, with women consistently doing more in all geographic and temporal contexts – in more than 35 countries – across the globe“, said Jen Ervin, head of research.This double burden of paid and unpaid work puts women at increased risk of overload, lack of time and poor mental health.”
Reducing this burden, in particular by allowing men to assume their equal share, would be coherent and beneficial, according to the authors.