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

“Brain load,” also known as “cognitive housework,” refers to the mental work required to keep family life running smoothly. This includes scheduling, planning and organizing tasks.

The study, conducted in the US, found that mothers were responsible for seven out of 10 (71%) of the mental workload at home. These tasks range from planning meals and organizing activities to managing household finances.

The team analyzed data from 3,000 U.S. parent respondents, looking at the proportion of common brain-loading tasks they typically handle at home.

Main findings

• Mothers bear most of the mental burden. Mothers do 71% of housework that requires mental work, 60% more than fathers, who only do 45%.
• Mom and dad have different roles. Moms perform 79% of daily tasks, such as cleaning and caring for children, more than double the share of dads (37%). Meanwhile, dads focus on temporary tasks such as finances and home repairs (65%), although moms still shoulder a large share (53%), resulting in duplication of effort.
• Dads overestimate their share. Parents often overestimate their own contributions, but dads do this better than moms do. Fathers were also more likely to believe that the mental work of housework was shared equally, while mothers disagreed.
• Single parents juggle it all. Single mothers and fathers bear the entire mental burden. Single fathers, in particular, do more than partnered fathers.

The study focused on individual parents rather than couples, so the findings reflect one parent’s perspective rather than a shared perspective. It also includes parents from a variety of family types, including LGBTQ+ and single parents, making the results relevant to different families.

Dr Anna Catalano Weeks, a political scientist at the Department of Politics, Languages ​​and International Studies at the University of Bath, said:

“This kind of work is often invisible, but it is important. It can lead to stress, burnout, and even affect a woman’s career. In many cases, resentment can breed, creating tension between couples. We want our What’s even fairer about research that can spark conversations about sharing mental burdens is that it’s good for everyone.

Gender differences in mental burden not only affect family life, but also affect women’s performance in the workplace and public life. A recent Gallup study showed that working mothers are twice as likely as fathers to consider reducing their hours or quitting their jobs due to parenting responsibilities.

Dr. Catalano Weeks said:

“Looking ahead, the challenge for governments and employers concerned with attracting top talent is how to develop policies that support mothers and fathers in sharing the unpaid work of the family. One policy that comes to mind is a well-paid, gender-equal policy.” Neutral parental leave — Both the UK and the US lag far behind compared to the rest of Europe.

So, this Christmas, if you’re wondering who’s carrying the spiritual burden – it’s probably mom. The researchers encourage families to take the first step: discuss the emotional burden, make plans, and work together to make the holidays and every day more balanced.