The distribution of household responsibilities is an important, if overlooked, driver of global gender inequality. Research shows women take on at least two and a half times more unpaid household and care tasks than men, and this is without accounting for the mental load that accompanies these responsibilities. As a result, many women experience increased stress, dissatisfaction in their relationships, and problems balancing work and family life.
Looking back on textbooks from the 1950s (seen below) is nauseating but important context to remember as we consider how societal norms could influence the home management decisions many couples make. We must respect that our parents learned this in school, and many modeled it for us because it subconsciously influences how we see our roles inside the home.
In Hannah’s Children, Catherine Ruth Pakaluk has written a ground-breaking book that provides novel, timely, and critical insight into the dramatic fertility decline that is taking place in developed nations. Pakaluk, a Harvard-trained economist who has eight children herself, conducted interviews with fifty-five college educated women living in the United States who had five or more children, seeking to understand why they had chosen to have such large families. Though we hear from the women about their children’s fathers, the story is told through the lens of the mothers.
Are you juggling multiple responsibilities inside and outside of work? Struggling to find the perfect balance? It’s time to rethink how we approach it.
The traditional concept of work-life balance often falls short because:
It implies that work and life are entirely separate, and
It suggests that a perfect balance is achievable—something many of us have found unrealistic.
Introducing work-life integration—a more holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of our personal and professional lives. In this exclusive webinar, two esteemed academics, a seasoned practitioner in work-life integration, and a woman leader from the corporate world joined for an insightful discussion on how this model can unlock potential in today’s fast-paced world.
Based on our reading of the GSS data, there is no strong evidence of weakening support for the core principle of gender equality among men, including young men.Questions about the relative position of men and women, the role of feminism, the case for preferential treatment, the extent of sex discrimination (in either direction) are being asked with new urgency. There is much to learn here. But it should be some comfort that, up to this point, fears of a male backlash against gender equality are likely overstated.
This title is a tautology. The term home already implies the concept of stability. Just as it is assumed that a home is a place where people develop healthily because they have a safe, strong and intimate family environment. Curiously, however, something is not right when more and more schools are setting up mental health services for children and adolescents; and according to the World Health Organisation, in 2021 one in seven young people aged 10 to 19 suffered from a mental disorder, with depression, anxiety and behavioural disorders being the main causes.
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