A Feminist Comic About The Gender Wars Of Household Chores

Author image for Motide
Motide
May 31, 2017 4:00 AM EDT

Moms often have to do all of the planning and organizing around the house. This Comic by French artist, Emma, Perfectly explains the "Mental Load" Working Mothers Bear. The artist claims that When a man expects his partner to ask him to do things, he is actually viewing her as the manager of their household chores. What's your opinion?

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  • 01
    Text - You should ve 5NOC asked OH NO
    via Emma
  • 02
    Cartoon - first job, a colleague Back when I was in my invited me over for dinner. Hi! Hello! When I got there, she was trying to feed her kids while preparing our meal.
    via Emma
  • 03
    Cartoon - Have a seat, grab a drink, Pll be right there! Ok!
    via Emma
  • 04
    Cartoon - Come on sweetie, make an effort. After a while, the pot started to overflow.
    via Emma
  • 05
    Cartoon - ...and ererything spilled onto the floor OH NO
    via Emma
  • 06
    Cartoon - What a What did disaster! you do
    via Emma
  • 07
    Cartoon - What do mean what did I you do? I did EVERYTHING, that's what I did!
    via Emma
  • 08
    Cartoon - But you asked! I would've should've helped!
    via Emma
  • 09
    Cartoon - It's a scene that must seem familiar to many new parents. And I thought it said a lot about how things get organised at that stage in our Lives
    via Emma
  • 10
    Text - When a man expects his partner to ask him to do things, he's viev ing her as the manager of household chores. Household management Project Leader UnderLing So it's up to her to knov what needs to be done and when.
    via Emma
  • 11
    Text - The problem with that, is that planning and organising things is already a f.ull-time job So, delivery in a month, Let the developers knaw, ask the client about bullet-point 10 in the file it's 7pm! oh crap, At work, once I started managing projects, I quickly stopped participat.ing in them I didn't hare the time.
    via Emma
  • 12
    Text - So when we ask women to take on this task of organisation, and at the same time to execute a large port.ion, in the end it represents 75% of the work. You didn't do the dishes? Well you asked! never Feminists cal this work the mental load.
    via Emma
  • 13
    Cartoon - The mental load means always haring to remember. Remember that have to add cotton buds you to the shopp.ing List, remember that today's the deadline to order your vegetable delivery for the week, remember that we should have paid the caretaker for last month's work by now. BI P
    via Emma
  • 14
    Cartoon - That the baby gre another 3cm and can't fit into his trousers anymore, that he needs to get his booster shot, or that your par tner doesn't have a clean shirt Left. BIP आा
    via Emma
  • 15
    Cartoon - Sowhile most heterosexual men I knav say that they do their fair share of hausehold chores, He always puts on the washing machine, but never hangs the washing out to dry. The sheets Could be He's never Cooked a Single meal standing stiff bef ore he thought change them for the baby. their partners have a rather different perspective
    via Emma
  • 16
    Cartoon - For me, the fact that this load exists becomes obvious when I decide to take care of a Simple chore, Like clearing the table. Ugh Alright
    via Emma
  • 17
    Cartoon - I start by picking something up to put it avay the but way I come across a dirty towel that go put in the laundry basket, on CH which I find f ull to the washing So go machine, ARF.
    via Emma
  • 18
    Line - the vegetables, As P'm putting aay I realise that I need to add mustard to the shopping List ...and I see the vegetables that I need to put in the fridge And so on and so forth. In the end, P'LL have cleared table aay my after 2 lonq hours.
    via Emma
  • 19
    Product - Only to find it covered in stuff again later that evening
    via Emma
  • 20
    Text - my partner to clear the table, he'Ll just clear the table If I ask The towel will stay on the floor, OH NO the vegetables will rot on the kitchen counter, OH NO.. and we won't have any mustard for dinner. more OH No
    via Emma
  • 21
    Text - friend J, on her to bed, asked It's Like when way her husband my take the baby's Can ,you bottle out of the dishwasher when it's done? and gett.ing up dishwasher for the first niqhtly feed found the With just the bottle on the counter, open, and everything else still inside. OH NO. "WAAAAA
    via Emma
  • 22
    Cartoon - What our partners are really saying, when they ask us to tell them what needs to be done, is that they refuse to take on their share of the mental load. Let me know if you need help.
    via Emma
  • 23
    Cartoon - OF COurse, there's nothing genet.ic or innate about this behaviour We're not born with an all-consuming passion for clearing tables, just Like boys aren't born with an utter disinterest for things Lying around
    via Emma
  • 24
    Text - But we're born into a society, which very early on, we're given dolls and miniature vacuum cleaners, In And in which it seems shamef ul for boys to Like those same toys. Look at that dainty Little boy with his Little tea set!
    via Emma
  • 25
    Cartoon - In which we see our mothers in charge of household management, while our fathers only execute the instructions. Honey, can Set the you table? Yes, in 5 minutes. MAMAAA MAAAMAAA
    via Emma
  • 26
    Cartoon - And in which culture and media essent.ially portray women as mothers and wives, while fascinating men are heroes who go on adventures avay from home. Goodbye Love! my OfF to save the world
    via Emma
  • 27
    Text - This conditioning will take effect from our earliest years, and on into adulthood. And while women are more and more present in the workf orce, they still remain the only ones in charqe of the household.
    via Emma
  • 28
    Text - When we become mothers, this dauble responsibility blows up in our face H days after we go through the ordeal of giving birth, our partner goes back to work. Coodbye my Love Off to save capitalism And it seems normal to him
    via Emma
  • 29
    Text - During this time, while recovering from our stitches in between two sleepless nights, we'll be thinking about everything that concerns the baby. Choosing a nanny buying clothes medical check-ps preparing meals.
    via Emma
  • 30
    Text - And once we're back at work, things will qet so hellish that it will feel less exhausting to keep doing everything rather than to battle With our partner so that he does his share. Pl stop by the supermarket
    via Emma
  • 31
    Text - That's why you find fathers with children who are already a fer years old, and who still don't knav where to buy their clothes, what to feed them, when they need their next vaccination, or even the nanny's phone number. Yes it's me what should feed her?
    via Emma
  • 32
    Text - Of course, there's nothing forcing us to do all this. The problem is that when we stop, the whale family suf fers. So most of us feel resigned to the fact that we are alone in bearinq the mental load, nibbling avay just so we can manage everything. Leisure time at our work or
    via Emma
  • 33
    Cartoon - So. / already knau what some people are It's not true, I take care of half the chores at home. gonna say
    via Emma
  • 34
    Cartoon - In that case, just as well! (But try and conf irm it wičh If things are Like that in home, it st.ill doesn't your partner) your change the problem statistically, women are st.ill the ones managing household tasks According to the French Institute of Statistics, women are still devot.ing 25 times more hours to chores than men.
    via Emma
  • 35
    Text - And if this gap has been narrow ing, it's not because men are doinq more. -but because wealthier households outsource these tasks, most of ten to poor immigrant women. We can't really say that it's a qood solution
    via Emma
  • 36
    Text - No, for things to change, it seems clear that men have to learn to feel that their home is also their responsibility. For a start, it would be good if fathers insisted on their right to be with their family in the first months of their child's Life. Right now, only feminists are demanding longer paternity leave, and Without much success. It's time to take the Lead!
    via Emma
  • 37
    Text - It can also help to start from the beginning, and to divide om recurrent and non-critical chores And also, sometimes Simply leaving the house without Preparing even if that means everything bef orehand, and not becoming a bit more tolerant of st.uff Lying around! feeling guilty about A role reversal can often be more ef fective than confrontation
    via Emma
  • 38
    Cartoon - And of course, raising our children as far aay possible from stereotypes, as to of fer them a fairer future than the one we've got!
    via Emma
  • 39
    Cartoon - Alright, I could but say a lot more, Pll stop for today! In a future comic Pll talk about emotional work, which also gets heaped onto women. Until then, take care! Emma
    via Emma

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