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Over the past several decades, gender roles have evolved and changed to reflect changing societal norms. However, despite these changes, a disparity in unpaid domestic labor still exists between partnered men and women around the world. In this special feature, we take a deeper look at how this unequally paid, unpaid work affects women’s mental health and relationships. We spoke to three experts to gain insight into this global issue.
Although gender roles are less rigid than they were decades ago, evidence shows that in heterosexual relationships, the burden of unpaid work still falls on women—even in cohabiting relationships where both partners are employed.
For example, the 2021 U.S. Labor Statistics data shows that both spouses were employed. 46.8% Families of married couples. However, according to statistics 59% Women report doing more housework than their male counterparts.
However, another Data Since the mid-1970s, the amount of time men spend on housework has doubled. For example, in In 1976, men spent about 6 hours a week on housework. In 2005, this number increased to 12.5 hours per week.
However, in those same years, women still spent more time completing unpaid domestic labor — typically around 26 hours per week in 1976 and around 16.5 hours per week in 2005.
Again, the unfair impact of unpaid labor on women Mental health It is often overlooked.
To investigate this further, scientists from Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, examined the mental health relationship between unpaid labor and employed adults.
Their findings, published
To conduct the study, the scientists reviewed 19 studies with a total of 70,310 participants from around the world. Eligible studies were peer-reviewed and measured the prevalence of unpaid labor among employed adults. They also outlined the relationship between this type of work and self-reported mental health issues, including: Depression and psychological distress.
After analyzing the study, the authors said that women took more unpaid work, regardless of geographical location and time. Moreover, this additional burden is associated with poor mental health in women. However, the effect on men was less clear.
The researchers also found that adding 1 hour of free exercise per week made a small but significant difference in mental health. In addition, some studies in the review reported a 0.2-0.4-point increase in depression for every 10 hours of unpaid labor.
Although further investigation is needed, the study authors suggest that persistent domestic labor inequity continues to exist between male and female partners around the world. And this imbalance puts women at greater risk of negative mental health problems.
Study author Jennifer ErvinAccording to a doctoral researcher at the Center for Health Equity at the Melbourne School of Public and Global Health. Medical news today:
“Unpaid labor has no universally recognized term or definition – it is also called unpaid work, unpaid care work, housework or housework – but it is widely considered to include all the responsibilities and tasks undertaken to maintain the family and its members. Financial compensation.
“So childcare is huge, and so is caring for people with disabilities, health conditions or the elderly. But it also includes household chores such as laundry, cooking, cleaning, chores and outdoor activities,” she added.
The authors of the study suggest that high levels of unpaid workload combined with work responsibilities contribute to role pressure, conflict and lack of time, which can negatively impact mental health.
Additionally, domestic work is often viewed as mundane, low-value, or unhappy.
However, due to the nature of the tasks, men may experience less negative mental health risks from unpaid labour.
Ervin explained:
“We know that men do less time-intensive work in the family, such as outside the home or maintenance work. These have been referred to in the literature as high-scheduling-control tasks—because one has more control when performing this type of unpaid labor.
Elaborating further, Ervin says, “A good example is when you can delay mowing the lawn until the weekend, for example, when time pressures are low, you can’t feed a hungry child or drive dependents to medical appointments. He said.
“Outdoor activities are not only time-sensitive, but they can be more fun and possibly more protective than other indoor activities,” she added.
Dr. Naomi MurphyConsultant clinical and forensic psychologist and co-founder Octopus PsychologyHe told him MNT“The causes of inequality Anxiety and depression. It creates distance between unequal parties and causes mistrust and resentment. […] It can make women feel worthless and resentful of their partner and embarrassed by the number of responsibilities they have.
She also says that unequal burdens “can create feelings of isolation and loneliness in a relationship.”
“If more of the responsibility is shouldered by one person, it can create a feeling of anxiety and a feeling that you cannot fulfill all of your responsibilities. It can also lead to low self-esteem,” explained Dr. Murphy.
Differences in domestic labor between men and women may be due to a number of factors. Ervin suggests that it probably depends on “historical context and era—it was common for women to be homemakers and men to be breadwinners.”
“As a result, entrenched gender roles and social norms remain around the gendered division of family labor. “Unfortunately, while women have entered the wage labor force in unprecedented numbers throughout the 20th century, there has not been a parallel or even remotely equal increase in their participation in men’s labor on the home front,” explains Ervin.
Dr. Murphy also pointed to the intergenerational effects of unpaid labor inequality.
“Families often make their daughters help with household chores. Generations of women have done this, so the styles are ingrained. As girls are more likely to imitate their female role models, this practice is passed down from one generation to the next.
In addition to mental health damage, ongoing unpaid work equity can damage personal and professional relationships.
according to Dr. Mark GolstonPsychiatrist and Executive Coach and Founding Member at Newsweek expert forumThe imbalance of unpaid labor “leaves women feeling overwhelmed. [to] It is often heard […] If you focus on work, you will neglect home and children, and if you focus on home and children, you will neglect work.
He also said, “Weary women can become impatient with their children and feel a deep resentment inside them, which can lead to shame and make them a terrible mother.”
Dr. Murphy says, “The feeling of self-confidence that comes with being overwhelmed can be lost. [also] Pour into professional life. “
She also adds, “A person who carries the burden of housework may become resentful of their partner for not shouldering the burden, which can turn into a strain in the intimate relationship.”
To facilitate change when faced with an unequal division of housework, Dr. Murphy offers the following suggestions for women.
- Talk to your partner before it becomes a problem and tell them how you feel
- Discuss and negotiate to have a fair division of work
- Find ways to appreciate each other and remind yourself why you love each other
- Find ways to value yourself and appreciate yourself
- Consider couples counseling to improve intimacy, intimacy, and communication.
“Try not to criticize how your partner is doing their contributions — they may not be doing it as fast or in the same way as you would like, but criticism can keep them from contributing,” she says.
On a larger scale, changing entrenched forms of unpaid labor within households may require specific policy changes.
Going further, Erwin suggested that[p]Such as universal childcare and formalizing flexible work arrangements and extended paternity leave for men help to turn the dial and achieve greater gender equality in the division of unpaid labor and unpaid care.
“Importantly, we need to be careful about policies that only target women because this can reinforce gender inequality,” she emphasized.
“We need to break down the norms of what it means to be a good employee and highlight the importance of gender-neutral approaches to outsourcing and the importance of flexible working – facilitating how work integrates with home life for both women and men. This is fundamental to gender equality.”
– Jennifer Ervin
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