Cognitive Labor, Power, and Patriarchal Bargains: Not-so-Invisible Barriers to Gendered Change

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Cognitive labor is an obdurate source of inequality between partners, and is usually considered so because the nature of the work makes it “invisible” to those involved. Yet given that talk of the “mental load” is now widespread and the pandemic amplified awareness of disparities, gender scholars have reason to question its “invisibility.” I ask: Are partners in heterosexual relationships aware of gendered inequalities in cognitive labor? How do partners legitimate inequalities in cognitive labor, given increased awareness? What prevents partners from achieving gendered change in cognitive labor? To answer these, I draw on interview data collected during the pandemic from 81 heterosexually partnered parents in the United States. I find that cognitive labor is far from invisible to women performing it and appears invisible to men only because they use resistance strategies to avoid it. I argue that the “invisibility” of cognitive labor stems from gendered power dynamics—both interpersonal and structural—not from the nature of the work process itself. I expand understanding of the power dynamics that sustain inequalities in this domain, pushing beyond typical explanations that center hidden power. Instead, I emphasize the role of patriarchal bargains in a seemingly intractable gender structure that gives men power.