About

This morning’s programme features an extended discussion on The Mental Load – the invisible, enduring and boundaryless work impacting women, men, families and society. Three University of Melbourne sociologists Associate Professor Leah Ruppanner (Co-Director, The Policy Lab), Dr Liz Dean (Lecturer in Sociology) and Dr Brendan Churchill (Research Fellow and Program Manager of Life Patterns) together with host Professor Dan Woodman from the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne, unpack the nature of this unpaid cognitive and emotional work, explaining why it is so taxing and who is bearing the burden. They offer perspectives and frameworks for better understanding this under-researched facet of care-giving and bringing it to the attention of policy makers. This discussion was presented as part of the University of Melbourne School of Social and Political Science's Critical Issues webinar series 2021 and is reproduced with the permission of the University of Melbourne. Music Far Away - WolfjayLion in my Heart – Aimee HannanTell Me Why – Archie RoachPlayground of Youth – Misha BearSaltwater People – Shellie Morris