Cognitive labor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Cognitive labor or the third shift[1] is sociological and feminist concept referring to the invisible mental work many women do in relationships and families.[2] It is related to invisible labor, emotional labor, and unpaid work[3] while emphasizing the cost of planning, organizing, scheduling, managing and worrying, in addition to "executing."[4][5] The distribution of cognitive labor falls disproportionately on women.[6] Handling the majority of cognitive labor is a burden that prevents women from pursuing opportunities or achieving greater health and happiness.[7] A recommendation for balancing cognitive labor is making it more explicit and visible.[8]
Daminger's Definition
Cognitive labor has two key research articles that define this topic. The first is by Allison Daminger, who defined four key tasks for cognitive labor. Another is by Lindsay G. Robertson et al., which defined cognitive labor in terms of six major tasks.[9][10]
The first task defined by Daminger is anticipation, characterized by looking ahead to anticipate future challenges. Second is identification, which involves researching current challenges to find solutions. The third is decisions, which include choosing between the prior research and knowledge to solve or mitigate current challenges. Finally, the fourth is monitoring, which assesses how prior decisions have addressed current challenges and whether further action is required.[11]
Robertson et al.'s Definition
The first task defined by Robertson et al. is planning and strategizing. This involves planning daily and future tasks, as well as planning when those tasks should be completed. The second task is monitoring and anticipating needs, which involves looking ahead to future needs and estimating their costs. The third task is meta-parenting, which is the thought behind parenting decisions and styles. The fourth is knowing, which includes both retaining and researching new information relevant to the family. The fifth task is managerial thinking, which involves managing and allocating both resources and family members to get tasks done. The sixth and final task is self-regulation, which involves changing thought processes and emotional regulation.[12][13]
Standardized Scale of Cognitive Labor
Researching mental labor is difficult for a variety of reasons; however, the most important factor is how to define and measure something that is not seen or invisible. A research study by Julie Holiday Wayne et al. provides a scientifically validated scale for unseen labor. This research article aims to conduct a five-part study: defining, generating, reducing, and validating items, scale refinement and factor reliability, scale examination and criteria validation, and structure confirmation.[14]
Study 1: Defining Tasks of Cognitive Labor
This study surveyed adults and asked them what unseen housework they had done that week. The aim was to create a more inclusive list of tasks constituting cognitive labor. They concluded that cognitive labor has three main categories: managerial family load, cognitive family load, and emotional family load.[14]
Study 2: Generation, Reduction and Validation of Items
This study used the three main categories defined in study one to define overall descriptions of the tasks. The aim of this was to define the task of cognitive labor while keeping the defined tasks as inclusive as possible. These broad tasks were then used to create the first scale of cognitive labor.[14]
Study 3: Refinement of Scale
The third study aimed to interview a broad demographic of adults who had completed a minimum set of cognitive labor. They were then told to rate, on a 5-point scale, how many of the tasks defined in study two they had completed in the past month.
Study 4: Scale and Criteria Examination
This study aimed to reduce the number of criteria to 22 of the defined tasks and determine whether the reduced scale provided sufficient variation in point scaling.[14]
Study 5: Structure Confirmation
The overall goal of the final study was to test the validity of this scale through verification and confirmation of repeated surveys and other defined methods of cognitive labor. This validation and verification yielded a 9-item scale. This scale was then tested, and similar results to those in past research were observed: women do more of the cognitive labor than men.[14]
