Women spend twice as many hours on unpaid housework than men, finds study
According to a recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet Public Health, US women spend double the amount of time than men in caregiving, handling chores, and housework, which can adversely affect their mental health and cause fatigue. Apparently, women spend four and a half hours on household duties a day while men offer only 2.8 hours. The extent of unpaid and invisible housework can take a psychological toll on women's mental health.
The hours do not differ even for women with full-time jobs. Tessa Kerley, a mom of two, spoke about tackling household chores and her full-time teaching job on Good Morning America. "My husband has already left for work, so it is me getting two kids out the door. I'm leaving my house a mess. But it's one of those things that it will just stay that way until I get home," she shared in a video message. Katie Clark, another mother and office worker, told GMA, "Me and my husband have a really good routine down. We both wake up with the kids. Today, I'm going to be dropping the boys off at school because my husband has to go into the office, so I'll drop them off at daycare, and then I have to get on my way and get to work."
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Women are more likely to spend double the amount of time than men caregiving, tackling chores and doing housework -- all tasks that can lead to a greater impact on mental health and even burnout, according to a new study. https://t.co/TfUGJ0Cdx4
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 5, 2022
'Being a working mom isn't easy'
Jennifer Esguerra, mother of three, spoke about her relentless work and extra traveling required in a video message for GMA, "I was up at 4 am yesterday morning to be on a 5.55 am flight, and now I'm back at the airport trying to get home to my 6-month-old, 3-year-old and 5-year-old, and my flight was canceled. Being a working mom isn't easy." Eve Rodsky, the best-selling author of 'Fair Play', spoke about the mental toll women take on due to the time spent on household labor.
"Men hold cards that they can do at their own timetable, like mowing the lawn, whereas women are the ones still, to this day, responsible for tasks like meal planning, responsible for grocery shopping, and responsible for things like going to get their children when they're sick if a school calls," said Rodsky in a video message.
According to the study, this pattern of women handling more chores than husbands comes from early childhood. Moreover, even in office life, men tend to get less to no paternity leave. The recent findings also indicate women spend 95 more eight-hour work days per year on unpaid work, which is the equivalent of $1.48 trillion, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' American Time Use Survey. The pandemic also impacted women's mental health more than men's as they spent more time taking care of their children, as per the 2021 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.