In recent years, more men have become actively involved in parenting. However, women are still predominantly seen as responsible for household organization.

A common image of modern motherhood is the mother receiving a group message from her child's school, reminding her to take care of tasks like preparing an outfit for a celebration. She often handles this without a second thought, before her partner even has a chance to help.

Studies have found that in heterosexual relationships, women tend to take on a larger share of "invisible" labor, which includes anticipating, planning, and organizing tasks that keep family life running smoothly. This mental load is exacerbated by technology, putting women at risk of digital overload and even professional burnout.

According to a recent BBC report, a study analyzing data from the European Social Survey, which included over 6,600 parents from 29 countries with at least one child and one living parent, revealed that women, especially mothers, are more affected by the mental strain caused by technology. The study also found a gender-based division in digital communication related to work and family life.

The research team examined how respondents used technology. While men tended to use it primarily for work, women used it for both work and home-related tasks. Women working from home experienced this dual burden to an even greater extent.

This issue has intensified as we spend more of our lives online, and remote work has become a regular part of daily life following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study found that women are 1.6 times more likely than men to face high levels of digital communication both at work and at home.

One example is online shopping for household items, clothing, and school supplies, which extends the domestic tasks that women typically handle into the digital realm.

Many couples start out equally sharing responsibilities, but gendered patterns often emerge over time. We tend to use digital devices for both leisure and work, blurring the lines between personal enjoyment and family-related tasks. This makes household management an undervalued form of labor.

Another factor that contributes to women taking on more digital labor is that they tend to work more flexibly than men, often taking part-time roles to accommodate childcare needs. This reveals the "flexibility paradox"—the idea that flexible work arrangements burden women more than men, as it emphasizes their role as the primary caregiver.

Working from home is often promoted as a way for women to balance family and professional obligations. However, this same flexibility can lead to women taking on more responsibility for organizing childcare, which today is largely managed through digital tools.

The more women take on at home, the less space they have for their professional lives. This contributes to the gender pay gap, increased stress, and greater dissatisfaction in relationships.

One way to ease the burden on women is for men to share all aspects of digital communication related to family life, such as researching and booking extracurricular activities. Open and regular communication between partners is key to achieving this balance.

Fathers could also take on more child care responsibilities, supported by policies where feasible, such as paid parental leave. This would gradually translate into sharing digital organization tasks as well.