--- ---  # Women Perform the Bulk of ‘Mental Housework’ in Relationships  by [Samantha Cooney](https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Apr 6, 2017 6:58 PM UTC  Cleaning Supplies in a Bucket Cleaning Supplies in a BucketVast Photography—Getty Images/First Light  by [Samantha Cooney](https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Apr 6, 2017 6:58 PM UTC Women take the lion’s share of responsibility of keeping track of [chores](http://time.com/money/4561314/women-work-home-gender-gap/) and [appointments](http://motto.time.com/4710852/overworked-women-tiffany-dufu-book-drop-the-ball/), according to a [new study.](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/04/04/men-benefit-womens-brain-power-home/100025502/?hootPostID=ba2afb084b704512347636f2a343974e) Researchers at William Paterson University and Columbia Business School recently published a series of five studies that found both men and women believe women will take responsibility for “mental housework,” which includes keeping track of the household to-do list and calendar. And this disparity could make women more overwhelmed and lead them to think that they are in an unfair relationship. Men, meanwhile, are less likely to remind partners about tasks — except when it’s in their own self-interest. “The less selfless the reminder, the more likely that it was issued by a man,” Elizabeth Haines, a William Paterson psychology professor, [told](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/04/04/men-benefit-womens-brain-power-home/100025502/?hootPostID=ba2afb084b704512347636f2a343974e) _USA Today_. “The results certainly suggest that men benefit more from the collective nature of couples’ mental work than their female partners do.” [Studies](http://time.com/2895235/men-housework-women/) have shown that women in the U.S. still do far more [housework than men](http://motto.time.com/4476447/see-where-in-the-world-guys-do-the-least-housework/).Researchers say that the pressure of “mental housework” can further put stress on the relationship and give women anxiety. “Women: When your partner asks you to remind him for something, you can just tell him: ‘Ask Siri,'” Haines said. \[[USA Today](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/04/04/men-benefit-womens-brain-power-home/100025502/?hootPostID=ba2afb084b704512347636f2a343974e)\] Women Do More Mental Housework Than Men ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4728620/mental-housework-women-study/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4728620/mental-housework-women-study/"},"headline":"Women Perform the Bulk of ‘Mental Housework’ in Relationships","datePublished":"2017-04-06T18:58:29.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:22.996Z","description":"And that could be bad for the relationship, researchers say","url":"https://time.com/4728620/mental-housework-women-study/","keywords":["motto","women","chores","Men","housework"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3e3cbbdeff926a4/6988c1c6cd1bba0ce0704a0a/women-mental-housework.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Cooney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3e3cbbdeff926a4/6988c1c6cd1bba0ce0704a0a/women-mental-housework.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Cleaning Supplies in a Bucket","caption":"Cleaning Supplies in a Bucket","creditText":"Vast Photography—Getty Images/First Light","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4728620/mental-housework-women-study/","name":"Women Perform the Bulk of ‘Mental Housework’ in Relationships"}}]}] ```