Unpaid labour: The invisible barrier to equity

Over recent weeks, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend various sessions spotlighting the amazing achievements of women and engage in rich discussions about, as one speaker boldly put it, “how far we haven’t come” on gender equality. This got me thinking.

In today’s world, traditional gender roles and expectations have evolved significantly. Women are less likely to be pigeonholed into stereotypical homemaker roles, and non-traditional family structures are increasingly common. But despite progress in these areas, research suggests women still bear the brunt of unpaid labour.

In fact, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) found that women are spending almost 10 hours more a week than men on domestic duties. This unequal distribution of domestic work has led to disparate outcomes relating to workforce participation, superannuation and job opportunities and reinforces dangerous stereotypes about gender roles.

These views are also prevalent in the workplace. When at work, women are more likely to “take one for the team”, accepting additional tasks that fall outside their job roles and responsibilities — and often doing them without a second thought.

Interestingly, many of these surplus tasks are often the projects that help drive company culture, achieve efficiency, and improve diversity, equity, and inclusion. They are also often the “office housework”, that organisations simply could not function without. But these tasks, while invaluable for organisations, are only progressive when they are being shared by all gender identities.

While female employees taking on a few extra projects here and there doesn’t seem overly detrimental at face value, it is the consistent build-up and subsequent expectation of these tasks that can have a negative impact on achieving equity. With any unpaid labour comes an additional mental load that can increase stress levels, drive burnout or prevent employees from completing job-relevant work, or going after opportunities to advance their careers through upskilling and reskilling.

This is where the difference between equality and equity rings true.

Even if organisations are actively creating equal opportunities for men and women in the workplace (which so many do), women may still be at a disadvantage if there is an unconscious expectation of them to take on more peripheral work than their male counterparts. You only have to look at the history of how domestic work has impacted gender roles to understand it is more nuanced than simply declining extra tasks.

So as organisations continue to develop innovative ways to ensure equity across the board, how do we collectively level the playing field when it comes to unpaid labour?

Start with a conversation

As unpaid labour is often invisible or taken for granted, teams and managers may not easily recognise these tasks. By having candid conversations (or even using anonymous survey tools), we can have a better grasp on what work is being done beyond core job responsibilities and who’s doing them. This may unveil a better way of operating (can automation be utilised?), or an opportunity to redistribute the load across the team, regardless of gender.

The power of sponsorship

Ensuring that women have sponsors – someone with more influence internally that can advocate for them – is valuable at any stage of their career, especially when it comes to shifting the dial on unpaid labour.

Sponsorship has long helped marginalised communities navigate obstacles such as bias, lack of visibility and limited access to networks. Ensuring your sponsors know the work you are doing can assist in how they advocate for you and how unpaid labour is valued. Having male sponsors speak up is also an important step in sparking discussions and enacting change through allyship.

While “scope creep” and stretch projects are necessary for the growth of both individuals and organisations, it is important to critique how the additional work we are asking of our people can impact their careers both positively and negatively. Whether it’s leaders thinking more actively about the distribution of unpaid labour in their team, women taking a moment to evaluate the extra tasks they take on, or male allies calling out bad habits, we all have a role to play to change the status quo – in the short, medium, and long term.

It’s certainly true that small steps can make big changes, so let’s commit to taking a closer look at the casual “unpaid labour” asks that we make of our teammates to ensure that we are creating a more equitable and sustainable future for all gender identities.   

Erandhi Mendis is a senior lead, corporate social responsibility, at Kyndryl Australia and New Zealand.