Unseen, unacknowledged, yet omnipresent - invisible labor is a reality that many grapple with daily. It's time to shed light on this hidden burden, understand its implications, and explore ways to address it for a healthier, more equitable society.
Invisible labor is unpaid, domestic work that falls primarily on the shoulders of women
In the U.S., married mothers spend nearly double the time on housework and childcare that American fathers do
- With many families quarantining together at home, disparities in the unsung labor of daily lives have become more evident
- and urgent for families to try to fix.
Why does it occur – and how do people contribute unknowingly?
When people don’t even realize they’re doing work in the first place, as is often the case with invisible labor, it undermines their ability to align their interests with other workers.
- You can’t solve a problem until you identify it. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
What’s going to solve it?
It needs to become visible, and then people need to do something about it.
- Individual solutions can be individual: have conversations with family members about the division of work at home
- Real, longterm solutions need larger-scale interventions
- Policies that provide support for these duties on an institutional scale could also reduce the amount of invisible labor women perform in the household
What is invisible labor, and how can I recognize it?
Invisible labor, a term that comes from a 1987 article about “invisible work” by Arlene Daniels, refers to unpaid work that goes unnoticed, unacknowledged, and thus, unregulated.
- In its academic definition, invisible labor impacts a wide range of marginalized groups:
- People performing invisible labor are marginalized by the sheer fact that their work isn’t seen, paid, or acknowledged.
How does invisible labor hurt society?
Around the world, women do three out of every four hours of unpaid labor, per a United Nations report
- When women get paid for their work, everyone benefits
- Economic independence that comes from individual earnings is vital for the agency of women in communities around the world
- Emotional tolls include emotional distress for mothers and time spent managing their kids’ emotional states
