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Housework: Unpaid Labor That May Lead to Mental Health Problems

The invisible work done at home, or "housework," or whatever you call it, is arduous and unpaid labor, mostly performed by women. It constitutes a hidden burden that negatively impacts the sleep and health of those assigned it.

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According to Neuroscience News, citing the journal Social Science & Medicine, this work is essential for maintaining the smooth flow of daily life, from preparing food and washing clothes to taking children to school and doctor's appointments. However, its importance is often overlooked, underestimated, or even ridiculed by the very society that relies on it.

Recipe for Disaster

When paid work is added to this, the recipe for disaster is complete, leaving those who juggle paid and unpaid work mired in silent exhaustion and psychological distress. This situation is often described as time congestion, a state in which an individual becomes burdened with both paid and unpaid work, leaving insufficient time for daily life.

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However, most research on this topic has focused solely on paid working hours, and consequently, the impact of total working hours—that is, both paid and unpaid hours—has not been adequately studied.

A comprehensive study

For this reason, a research team led by Professor Akiko Morimoto from the Graduate School of Nursing and Professor Naho Sugita from the Graduate School of Economics at Osaka Urban University conducted a comprehensive study of the relationship between total daily working hours, poor sleep, and mental health.

A self-administered mailing questionnaire, including questions focusing on demographic variables, total paid and unpaid working hours, sleep quality, and mental health, was distributed in five cities in Osaka Prefecture. Of the 12,446 participants, the responses of 3,959 healthy Japanese workers (1,900 men and 2,059 women) aged 40 to 64 were analyzed.

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Difference Between Men and Women

The results revealed that although women work fewer paid hours than men, they spend more time on unpaid work, resulting in longer working hours overall. A significant disparity was observed, particularly in the rate of participation in housework, with approximately 90% of women and 40% of men participating in these activities.

It was also confirmed that long working hours are associated with an increased risk of poor sleep in both men and women. Furthermore, they are linked to an increased risk of declining mental health in women.

Future Policies

Professor Morimoto stated, "For women, total daily working hours are a more significant predictor of poor sleep and declining mental health than paid working hours alone." Professor Sugita concluded by expressing future expectations that "determining total daily working hours and including this data in policymaking and institutional design will contribute to reducing health disparities and achieving gender equality."