A Typology of US Parents' Mental Loads: Core and Episodic Cognitive Labor

Ana Catalano Weeks, Leah Ruppanner

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Abstract

Objective
This article examines whether domestic cognitive labor functions like other forms of domestic labor as a means to “do gender.”

Background
Domestic cognitive labor is increasingly conceptualized as the invisible thinking work associated with childcare and housework. A critical question for this growing literature is the gender distribution of cognitive labor tasks: do women do it all, or does domestic cognitive labor follow similar patterns to other forms of domestic physical labor (e.g., childcare and housework), cleaving by separate spheres of activity? In this regard, is domestic cognitive labor another way parents “do gender” at home?

Methods
Applying unique survey data from a sample of US parents (N = 3000), we assess a 21-item battery measuring different domestic cognitive labor tasks. We first apply exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to identify whether domestic cognitive labor holds underlying constructs. Second, we estimate whether gender differences in these indices are robust in regression models net of a range of sociodemographic factors.

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.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages24
JournalJournal of Marriage and Family
Early online date12 Dec 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 12 Dec 2024

Acknowledgements

The authors thank three anonymous reviewers and the Editor for their constructive comments. They are grateful to the Moms of Camberville 2.0 Facebook group and the Harvard Digital Lab for the Social Sciences for their help in pilot testing the survey.

Funding

The authors thank three anonymous reviewers and the Editor for their constructive comments. They are grateful to the Moms of Camberville 2.0 Facebook group and the Harvard Digital Lab for the Social Sciences for their help in pilot testing the survey. They thank 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 for funding that enabled this research to be conducted. This article was also supported by the Australian Research Council FT220100493.

FundersFunder number
Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield
University of Bath
Australian Research CouncilFT220100493
Australian Research Council

    Keywords

    • caregiving
    • gender
    • gender roles
    • housework
    • parents

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Anthropology
    • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
    • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

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