The Invisible Load: Domestic Labor, Gender, and Career Implications

This project investigates the career implications of unpaid domestic care work and the mental load it entails through a gender lens, while also developing tools to raise awareness. Despite being critically important, this topic remains under-discussed at both global and local levels, and quantitative evidence on these issues is particularly scarce. Mental load and unpaid domestic care labor are not just personal or societal concerns; they also have significant implications for businesses. Existing studies often examine these issues—mental load, unpaid domestic care, women's time poverty, and their workplace implications—in isolation and with limited scope. This research integrates these perspectives, highlighting the necessity of addressing these topics collectively within the corporate context. By linking unpaid domestic care and mental load to critical workplace challenges—such as the glass ceiling, women's representation in management, and the retention of women in the workforce—this study broadens the existing debate and provides evidence-based insights to inform and strengthen corporate policies, ultimately contributing to more equitable and inclusive workplaces. To address this gap, we will conduct a survey experiment with 2000 white-collar professionals in Turkey, and test the effectiveness of a randomized informational intervention designed to raise awareness about (i) the asymmetric burden of domestic care work, and (ii) the invisible burden of mental load.