The Invisible, Unlimited Work Of Mothers

Experts say that this hidden work comes in three overlapping categories:

1. cognitive labour, which is thinking about all the practical elements of household responsibilities, including shopping and planning activities.
2. emotional labour, which is maintaining the family’s emotions; calming a distressed child or worrying about how they are managing at school.
3. the mental load is the intersection of the two: preparing, organising and anticipating everything that needs to get done to make life flow.