A Woman's Burden
Illustrator Emma Sounds Off On The "Mental Load"
If you’re a mother, you’re probably used to juggling an endless to-do list, from keeping the house clean to managing schedules to preparing meals.
More often than not, that endless labor goes unnoticed and unappreciated. And, for working mothers, that burden can be even heavier.
French cartoonist Emma calls this the mental load, and it’s the topic of her 2018 book, “The Mental Load: A Feminist Comic.”
“The mental load means always having to remember,” she writes. “The mental load is almost completely born by women. It’s permanent and exhausting work. And it’s invisible.”
Her funny yet incisive comics, which tackle everything from maternity leave to domestic violence to sex, have gone viral online, shared by women who can identify all too well.
The book starts with a story about visiting a colleague’s home for dinner. Upon arriving, Emma is encouraged to sit and have a drink with the man of the house as his female partner attempts to feed their kids and cook the adults’ meal. Eventually, a pot overflows, prompting the man to inquire why his partner didn’t ask him for help.
“When a man expects his partner to ask him to do things, he’s viewing her as the manager of household chores,” Emma writes. “So it’s up to her to know what needs to be done and when. … When we ask women to take on this task of organization, and at the same time to execute a large portion, in the end it represents 75 percent of the work.”
If you’re nodding in agreement, we suggest picking up a copy of this thought-provoking book ASAP – and maybe a few more for the women in your life.
Visit english.emmaclit.com.