P&G aims to help unpack the mental load

Roles within relationships have changed over the years with men attempting to share the load. Despite that, many women continue to be responsible for decision-making within the home, and is why 71% of them suffer from 'mental load' compared to only 12% of men. This is reflected in the study carried out by Proxima a ti in Spain. 

As its name suggests, mental load is an invisible burden created by the constant mental effort assumed by those responsible for what happens in the home. The person who carries this load is generally the one who ensures that everything is working correctly within a family.

Confronting this situation, P&G, working with Proximity Madrid, has developed the #descargamental (#MentalDownload) project. It has involved carrying out a study, interviewing over 2,400 people; men and women, between the ages of 25 and 49, living as a couple, with or without children, across Spain, and covering the issue of daily responsibilities in the home. You can see the results via this link.

As well as the study, P&G carried out an experiment to demonstrate the problem, asking five couples to make lists of their mental tasks in the notes app on their mobile phones. The couples then swapped phones and read each other's lists aloud; the result was striking, as seen in the video above.