General · 6 September 2026
Women often carry the 'mental load' of household tasks, experts say
Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
The 'mental load' is the unseen work of planning and organising daily household life, with studies suggesting it mostly falls to women. University of Bath academics found mothers handled 71% of tasks needing mental effort in a US survey of 3,000 parents. Experts say clear communication, shared calendars, and taking full ownership of tasks can help lighten the mental load.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs