Household Resource Hub
Practical tools & information for creating a better balance in your home
The Problem for Households
Consider the following as it relates to housework:
- On average, women in the UK do 2 hours more unpaid work per day than men
- Women earn 87 pence for each £1 that men earn
- By the time a couple’s first child is 10 years old, on average the mother will be earning around 50% of what she did before she had children, while the father’s income will be unaffected
- The consequence of this is that women are more likely to end up in poverty late in life (1 in 5 women and 1 in 3 women of colour will end up in poverty) despite working longer hours than men, their paid work and retirement savings are far lower.
At the root of this problem is an invisible imbalance – physical and mental workload – housework – that disproportionately falls to women. Work that can be invisible to the person that isn’t doing it – but we’re changing that.
Sharing the Load
Why household work matters
The New York Times recently reported analysis by Oxfam showing that the unpaid work done by women globally, if paid at minimum wage, would be worth $10.8 trillion last year. That makes women’s unpaid work the fourth largest economy in the world! This is work that isn’t recognised by our society, but also isn’t valued enough at a household level, with housework often seen as less important than paid work. Responsibility for this work is also a major driver of mental load.
Unfortunately discussions about housework and if you’re doing too much can quickly turn into conflict.
Mental Load & Motherhood
86% of working mothers say they are responsible for handling all family and household responsibilities. And that – the job of being the CEO, people manager and admin assistant for the household – is the Mental Load. It’s the mental work of having to constantly remember, organise, account for, plan and manage your life and the lives of your household.
To address the problem of mental load, we want to help you and your partner open up communication about how things work in your home, and to show you opportunities to improve your balance.
Household Resource Library
ESAH’s Household Resource Library provides information, advice and practical tools and tips to help you create equality, starting in your home.
Check it out now to start learning more about the housework problem, working towards a solution and finding out more about how to approach difficult conversations with your partner.
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Ready to take the first step towards a more equal world?
Find out how work is shared in your home – take the quiz