Invisible Labor

Invisible labor refers to all the tasks that go into keeping a household or organization running smoothly, but often go unnoticed and unappreciated. You know, like making sure there's toilet paper, keeping the fridge stocked, or remembering important details that make things run efficiently. These tasks are often considered "women's work" and are not acknowledged as real work.

Have you ever noticed that some tasks just seem to magically get done, without anyone taking credit for them? No, it's not magic, it's invisible labor. Invisible labor refers to all the tasks that go into keeping a household or organization running smoothly, but often go unnoticed and unappreciated (and unpaid in work settings). You know, like making sure there's toilet paper, keeping the fridge stocked, or remembering important details that make things run efficiently. These tasks are often considered "women's work" and are not acknowledged as real work. But let's be real, without it, the world would be chaos.

Invisible labor is unpaid and undervalued work that is often done by women and other marginalized groups, such as care work, domestic work, and emotional labor. In early human societies, men were typically responsible for hunting food, while women were responsible for everything else (haha just kidding, but that wouldn’t surprise me). Women were responsible for caring for the children and maintaining the home. As societies evolved and became more complex, these traditional gender roles persisted, and there seemed to be a conscious effort by the patriarchy to undervalue work done by women and other marginalized groups, pushing a narrative that this work was less important than the work done by (white) men. In modern societies, despite the increased participation of women in the workforce, the burden of invisible labor still falls disproportionately on women and other marginalized groups. This is partly because many of the tasks associated with invisible labor, such as care work and domestic work, are still seen as "women's work."

In addition to the social and cultural factors that contribute to the persistence of invisible labor, there are also economic factors at play. The unpaid and undervalued nature of invisible labor means that it is not recognized or compensated in the same way as paid work, which perpetuates the cycle of inequality. Recognizing and valuing invisible labor is an important step in addressing the root causes of gender and other forms of inequality. This includes providing support for care work and domestic work, such as affordable childcare, and paid parental leave, and creating policies and programs that recognize the value of invisible labor and provide support for those who engage in it. It’s also important for partners living together to share in the responsibilities of the home. (Couples therapy has started to help with this a little, but please continue to wish me luck when my husband “doesn’t always see what needs to be done”. So I’m left with the extra burden of having to be house manager on top of everything else. Sigh.)

So, let's remember to appreciate all of the invisible laborers out there (including yourself)! You may not get the credit you deserve, but you're keeping the world spinning and know that you are seen and appreciated. And if you want validation and supportive suggestions, I highly recommend reading Fair Play by Eve Rodsky and/or watching the documentary by the same name!

Kaci Smith, LMFT 

I am a licensed psychotherapist in California. I run online, drop-in therapy groups for women in California year round. I also offer online psycho-educational workshops. Visit my website to learn more or e-mail me anytime.