The Hidden Cost of Household Labor Inequity and Results from a Fair Play Method Intervention

A groundbreaking study from USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Center for the Changing Family, in partnership with the The Fair Play Policy Institute, sheds light on a critical yet often invisible driver of gender inequality: the unequal division of household and mental labor.

Here are some startling findings:
👉 Women shoulder at least 2.5 times more unpaid domestic and care work than men, contributing over $10 trillion to the global economy.
👉 The mental load—anticipating, planning, and coordinating tasks—is a key stressor for mothers and a major contributor to burnout, dissatisfaction in relationships, and challenges balancing work and family.
👉 Mothers carrying a disproportionate share of this "invisible" labor report poorer mental health, increased burnout, and lower relationship satisfaction.

The Fair Play Method: A Path to Equity
The study tested the Fair Play Method, a system that redistributes both physical and cognitive household labor more equitably between partners. Results showed:
✅ A more equitable division of labor led to improved mental health, reduced burnout, and better relationship quality for mothers.
✅ Conversations about the mental load sparked awareness and created meaningful changes in household dynamics.

Why This Matters:
For mothers in science, academia, and leadership, these inequities don’t just stay at home—they spill into professional life, compounding stress and making it harder to thrive in high-pressure careers.

Having these conversations is daunting and the push back can feel insurmountable—but this research shows the real positive impact that can arise, not just for mothers, but for both partners. The Fair Play Method has the potential to create meaningful shifts in household equity, which lead to powerful improvements in mothers' mental health, relationship quality, and overall wellbeing.

These findings remind us that equity isn’t just an ideal—it’s achievable, with measurable and transformative results.

#GenderEquity #MentalLoad #ScientistMothers #FairPlay #WorkLifeBalance

Read the report: Shouldering the Invisible Workload: Balancing Mental and Physical Labor in the Home