The gender wage gap increased for the first time in 20 years. It’s time to pay attention to ‘emotional labor’

This is the first time in more than 20 years the pay gap increased between women and men, according to new census data. While many factors lead to inequitable pay between the genders, looking at invisible work and emotional labor is the one aspect that can be addressed at home and in the workplace.

The gender wage gap isn’t just about salary. Society places too high of expectations and too low of value on the contributions of women. As a result, we have more than just a wage gap. Women feel burnt out and overwhelmed while being unfairly compensated for their work.

Invisible work describes work that goes unpaid, unacknowledged, and unregulated. One type of invisible work is emotional labor, a term coined to describe the caregiving work that women do in the workforce that is now also used to refer to carrying the mental load at home. There are a lot of modern-day terms for this work, but many people still think of it by a more dated description: “women’s work.”

Emotional labor disproportionally falls to women in the workplace where it is often unwritten as well as unwaged. In two-gender households, women also do significantly more of the emotional labor (in addition to physical housework) at home, meaning that they are often taking on significantly more responsibility in both arenas, a 24/7 burden. The combination of invisible work and emotional labor can lead to feelings of burnout and overwhelm. This, in turn, can negatively impact job performance, career advancement, and earning potential.

Leaders need to make the invisible visible by acknowledging and detailing the emotional labor that each person does, to redistribute the workload or address pay disparities. While lower-level female employees are disproportionately assigned to (or “volun-told”) invisible work, like taking notes at a meeting, proofreading presentations, and other administrative tasks, women at all levels end up shouldering emotional labor. Although keeping track of team birthdays and anniversaries and arranging a cake or circulating a card, for example, is not a task that drives revenue, if it is important to company culture and team unity, it should be acknowledged. “Office housework” is not typically recognized or compensated, yet it plays a crucial role in maintaining a functional and harmonious work environment.

The systematic problem requires a systematic solution: radical delegation. Women may have been socialized to be better at emotional labor and invisible work, but that doesn’t mean they need to shoulder more tasks.

To start making the invisible visible, write out a (very long) list of every “office housekeeping” task that needs to be performed in the workplace and either hire someone to fulfill these tasks or add it to the job descriptions of employees of all genders in the company and make sure their compensation reflects the workload.

While this exercise needs buy-in from company leadership, women may have an easier time enacting radical delegation at home if they are partnered or share caregiving duties. In my third book, Emotional Labor: Why a Woman’s Work Is Never Done and What to Do About It, I offer women concrete ways to identify and mitigate the costs of their unseen, unnoticed, and unwaged work at home.

Many women in their prime wage-earning years are also in the sandwich generation, caring for children and aging parents. At home, women can have a frank conversation with the other caregivers they share responsibility with to engage in radical delegation. To help ensure that emotional labor is being shared in addition to more tangible tasks, try allocating entire areas of responsibility instead of singular chores. For example, instead of just assigning out grocery shopping, make sure that person is in charge of planning, like building the grocery list and keeping track of what needs to be purchased and when.

In the paid workplace, managers and leaders often delegate tasks to the person best suited to the job. Unfortunately, when it comes to “office housework” (e.g., taking meeting minutes, ordering lunch, gathering signatures on a coworker’s birthday card], these tasks often fall on the shoulders of women in the office with the assumption they’re considered “better at those things,” regardless of job title.

Don’t let “poor timing” or a “busy season” push off creating equity. There’s always something coming up, personally and professionally. While there might never be a perfect time to shake up the status quo, we are long overdue for a change.

The gender wage gap is not merely a financial issue; it is a reflection of broader societal inequities. By undervaluing the contributions of women in both the workplace and the home, we perpetuate a system that disadvantages women and limits their opportunities. We must recognize the importance of invisible work and emotional labor and take steps to address the gender pay gap.