Summary: New research shows that parents take on 71 % of family mental load responsibilities, including planning, scheduling, and organizing, while father manage just 45 %. This imbalance typically leads to anxiety, fatigue, and pressure on women’s jobs and relationships.
Fathers typically concentrate on routine tasks like household repairs and finances, overestimating their entire contributions in comparison to mothers. Experts advise people to handle the emotional weight imbalance through empty discussions and shared responsibilities, particularly during the holiday season.
Essential Information
- Mental Load Gap: Mothers handle 71 % of household mental load tasks, 60 % more than parents.
- Gendered Roles: Fathers concentrate on financial ramifications ( 65 % ), while mothers concentrate on daily tasks (79 % ).
- Impact on Women: The mismatch contributes to anxiety, fatigue, and career stress for parents.
Origin: University of Bath
The trip time you feel like a slew of intellectual to-do lists, from sending cards and sending gifts to planning Christmas dinner.
New research from the University of Bath and the University of Melbourne, published in the , Journal of Marriage &, Family, reveals that parents increasingly carry this “mental weight” while moms generally take a back seats.
And this imbalance occurs every day of the year, not just during Christmas.
The “mental load,” also known as” cognitive household labor,” refers to the amount of thought required to keep family life running smoothly. This includes scheduling, planning, and organising tasks.  ,
The study, conducted in the US, found that mothers take on seven in ten ( 71 % ) of all household mental load tasks. These responsibilities range from organizing and cooking meals to managing the household finances.
The research team analyzed data from 3, 000 US parent respondents to determine how much of the common mental load they typically manage is carried out in their home.
Key Findings
- Most of the mental load is carried on mothers.
Mothers handle 71 % of household tasks that require mental effort—60 % more than fathers, who manage just 45 %. - Different responsibilities for mothers and fathers.
Mums take on 79 % of daily jobs like cleaning and childcare—over twice as much as dads ( 37 % ). Dads, meanwhile, focus on episodic tasks like finances and home repairs ( 65 % ), although mums still do a significant share ( 53 % ), leading to duplication of effort. - Dads overestimate their share.
Parents often overestimate their contributions, but dads do this more than mums. Mothers are not as likely to see their children’s mental labor as equally distributed, as adults are. - Single parents struggle with it all.
The mental strain is on the shoulders of single mothers and fathers. Single dads, in particular, do significantly more compared to partnered fathers.
The findings of the study reflect the viewpoint of one parent rather than a shared view because it focuses on individual parents rather than couples. It also includes parents from a wide range of family types, including LGBTQ+ and single parents, making the results relevant to diverse households.
Dr Ana Catalano Weeks, a political scientist from the Department of Politics, Languages &, international Studies at the University of Bath said:  ,
” 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. We hope that conversations about equitable distribution of the mental load, which benefits everyone, are sparked by our research.
The gender gap in mental capacity has an impact on both the workplace and the public.  ,
According to a recent Gallup study, working mothers are twice as likely as fathers to consider cutting down on their workdays or quitting their jobs as a result of parental obligations.
Dr Catalano Weeks said:
The key for governments and employers who are interested in attracting the best talent is to develop policies that encourage mothers and fathers to share the unpaid work at home, according to Govan. I have a thought about well-paid, gender-neutral parental leave, which the UK and the US both fare badly in comparison to the rest of Europe.
So, this Christmas, if you’re wondering who’s doing the mental heavy lifting – it’s probably mum. The researchers encourage families to take the first step: talk about the mental load, make a plan, and work together to make the holidays—and every day—more balanced.
Funding: The research was partially funded by the Carrie Chapman Catt Prize, Iowa State University, Bath’s Institute for Policy Research and the Department of Politics, Languages &, International Studies at the University of Bath, and the Australian Research Council.
About this information about psychology and parenting research
Author: Chris Melvin
Source: University of Bath
Contact: Chris Melvin – University of Bath
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
” A typology of US parents ‘ mental loads: Core and episodic cognitive labor. Journal of Marriage and Family, 1–24″ by Ana Catalano Weeks et al. Journal of Marriage and Family
Abstract
A typology of US parents ‘ mental loads: Core and episodic cognitive labor. Journal of Marriage and Family, 1–24
Objective
This article examines whether domestic cognitive labor functions similarly to other types of domestic labor as a means of “do gender.”
Background
Domestic cognitive labor is increasingly understood as the unseen thinking that goes on in children and housework. The gender distribution of cognitive labor tasks is a crucial issue for this expanding literature: do all women perform it, or do other forms of domestic physical labor, such as housework and childcare, be divided into distinct spheres of activity? In this regard, is domestic cognitive labor another way parents “do gender” at home?
Methods
We evaluate a 21-item battery measuring various domestic cognitive labor tasks using unique survey data from a sample of US parents ( N = 3000 ). To determine whether domestic cognitive labor holds underlying constructs, we first use exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Second, we use a range of sociodemographic factors to determine whether gender differences in these indices are robust in regression models.
Results
We identify that domestic cognitive labor, like other forms of domestic labor, forms two distinct facets, with mothers holding the bulk of the core , Daily , tasks related to family well-being and fathers holding the , Episodic , tasks related to maintenance and finances. Further, we document that, consistent with previous housework literature, question wording structures parents ‘ reported contributions by gender.
Conclusion
Ultimately, our study expands our theoretical, conceptual, and methodological understanding of domestic cognitive labor and points to the value of “doing gender” perspectives.
