DO YOU EQUAL(LY) CARE @HOME? - The Mental Load Self-Test - How to use it and evaluation

Sep 12, 2026

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The Mental Load Self-Test helps households document and compare invisible domestic and caregiving responsibilities across daily, weekly, monthly, and annual routines. Users mark tasks they perform at home, optionally add missing items under “Others,” and share the test with a partner for independent completion and later comparison. The scoring method counts checks per time interval, multiplies by the column score, and sums a total to reveal who carries the mental load and whether care work feels equally valued.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

How to use it

Task table and check rules

Equal Care concept

Value and time burden

Evaluation and results

DO YOU EQUAL(LY) CARE @HOME?! The Mental Load Self-Test for homework and domestic work How to use it: Look at all the tasks in the table below and put a check behind those you do at your house. It is best to make two copies of the test-one for you and one for your partner. This way you can fill out the table independently and compare them afterwards. The tasks are sorted by areas such as household and hobbies (among others) . In the columns from left to right, you will find tasks that occur approx. daily, weekly, monthly, and annually. • If certain tasks do not take place in your house, leave the box blank. • If you share a task, check the box. When comparing with your partner, you can see if he/she sees it the same way. • If you have more tasks that are not listed, you can add them in the empty lines under „OTHERS“. By the way: Equal Care does not necessarily mean that the ratio of care work must be exactly 50:50 . Other models can also lead to an equal distribution of mental and physical load. Remember: Equal Care also means that care work is valued just as much as being on a payroll. Caring for a child who does not go todaycare or school is a full-time job. But while parent X, whois on a payroll, comes home after a 40-hour work week and is „done“ with work, the job of parent Y goes from (for example) [6 a. m. to 8 p. m. every](6 a. m. to 8 p. m. every) day (and possibly even further at night), which corresponds to at least a 98-hour work week. The division of ‹job› and ‹child (ren)› is therefore not 50:50 per se. On top of that, household chores are not even factored in this example! Evaluation: Count your checks per column and multiply them by the score of the respective column. Then add all points to your total score. You can enter them here: Result: Name: Points daily: ........................................................ Points weekly:..................................................... Points monthly:................................................... Points annually:................................................... Total The maximum score is 216, which means all of the tasks mentioned above occur in your home and you are responsible for them all. However, this is unlikely. It is much more interesting to compare your results with your partner or the person(s) with whom you share the care work. So-who carries the mental load at your house? Do you care equally? Let‘s get started! [www.klischeesc.de](www.klischeesc.de) Mental Load Test @Home by Johanna Lücke ([feministmotherhood.de](feministmotherhood.de) ) 􀀟 equalcareday.de/mental-load-home-en. pdf CC: This test is licensed as Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs CC BY-NC-ND It allows others to download this test and share it with others as long as they credit the author. It must not be changed and is not legal to use it commercially in workshops or any other contexts. DO YOU EQUAL(LY) CARE @HOME? The Mental Load Self-Test HOUSEHOLD Washing + hanging laundry 􀀞 Folding + putting away laundry 􀀞 Making beds 􀀞 Cooking 􀀞 Kitchen + Dishes 􀀞 Maintaining shopping list 􀀞 Taking out trash 􀀞 Cleaning up 􀀞 Vacuuming 􀀞 Wiping floors 􀀞 Cleaning bathroom 􀀞 Watering flowers 􀀞 Dusting + wiping 􀀞 Ironing 􀀞 Grocery shopping 􀀞 Planning meals 􀀞 Buying fresh fruit/vegetables 􀀞 Changing bed covers + sheets 􀀞 Buying cleaning supplies 􀀞 Cleaning drains 􀀞 Small repairs 􀀞 Paying bills for rent, electricity etc 􀀞 Recycling/returning glass bottles 􀀞 Decoration the home 􀀞 Garden + balcony 􀀞 Handywork like drilling 􀀞 Cleaning windows 􀀞 Wiping down kitchen cabinets 􀀞 Taxes 􀀞 Descaling machines 􀀞 Cleaning the oven, fridge, freezer 􀀞 Disposing of bulky waste 􀀞 Research for electricity, internet, insurance 􀀞 DAYCARE/SCHOOL/NURSING HOME Preparing snack boxes 􀀞 Commuting 􀀞 Supervising homework 􀀞 Preparing spare clothes 􀀞 Buy and pack gym and spor

FAQs

How do you use the Mental Load Self-Test at home?

Review the task table and check the items you do at home. Create two copies—one for you and one for your partner—so both can fill it out independently and compare afterward.

What should you do if a task doesn’t happen in your household?

Leave the corresponding box blank. If there are additional tasks not listed, add them in the empty lines under “OTHERS”.

How is the result calculated and what does the total mean?

Count checks in each column and multiply by that column’s score (daily, weekly, monthly, annually). Add all points to your total score; the maximum score indicates you do all listed tasks, which is unlikely and is best compared with a partner’s result.

Sep 12, 2026

Upload by Aldword