Methodology Overview

Household labor is often invisible and difficult to quantify. A simple time-based approach fails to account for the reality that some tasks require more physical effort, mental energy, or cognitive load than others.

Share the Load addresses this by applying effort multipliers to each task based on:

💪

Physical Effort

Measured using Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) values from exercise science

🧠

Cognitive Effort

Based on research into invisible labor and the mental load of household management

The result is a weighted hours calculation that reflects the true burden of household labor, not just the time spent doing it.

Physical Effort: MET Values

What are METs?

A Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) is a physiological measure that expresses the energy cost of physical activities as a multiple of resting metabolic rate. One MET is defined as the energy expenditure at rest (approximately 3.5 mL O₂/kg/min).

EXAMPLE MET VALUES

1.0

Sitting quietly

2.0

Light household activities (washing dishes)

5.0

Moderate effort (mowing lawn with push mower)

8.0

Vigorous effort (shoveling heavy snow)

The Compendium of Physical Activities

Our MET values are derived from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a comprehensive reference standard developed by exercise science researchers. The Compendium catalogs MET values for over 800 specific activities based on empirical measurement.

PRIMARY SOURCE

Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. (2011). 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 43(8):1575-1581.

DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31821ece12

This compendium is used worldwide by researchers, health professionals, and public health organizations (including the CDC and WHO) to standardize activity intensity measurements.

How We Convert METs to Multipliers

We establish a baseline of 2.0 METs (light household activity) as our 1.0× multiplier. Tasks with higher MET values receive proportionally higher multipliers:

Multiplier = MET value ÷ 2.0

Examples:

→2.0 METs ÷ 2.0 = 1.0× (baseline, e.g., washing dishes)
→3.5 METs ÷ 2.0 = 1.75× (rounded to 1.5×, e.g., mopping)
→5.0 METs ÷ 2.0 = 2.5× (e.g., mowing lawn)
→6.0 METs ÷ 2.0 = 3.0× (rounded to 2.6×, e.g., shoveling snow)

Specific Household Tasks from the Compendium

The Compendium includes specific codes for household activities. Here are examples directly from the research:

Code	Activity	METs	Multiplier
05041	Cleaning, light (dusting)	2.5	1.1×
05050	Cleaning, moderate (vacuuming)	3.0–3.5	1.3–1.5×
05065	Cooking or food preparation	2.0–3.5	1.0–1.5×
08120	Mowing lawn, walk, power mower	5.0	2.2×
08200	Shoveling snow by hand	6.0	2.6×

Cognitive Load &
Invisible Labor

Physical effort is only part of the story. Much of household labor is cognitive— the mental work of anticipating needs, making decisions, delegating, and monitoring.

Daminger's Four Phases of Cognitive Labor

Sociologist Allison Daminger's groundbreaking research identified four distinct cognitive processes that constitute the "mental load" of household management:

PRIMARY SOURCE

Daminger, A. (2019). The cognitive dimension of household labor. American Sociological Review, 84(4):609-633.

DOI: 10.1177/0003122419859007

ANTICIPATION

Recognizing that a task needs to be done before it becomes urgent.

Example: Noticing the kids are outgrowing their shoes before they complain.

IDENTIFICATION

Researching and evaluating possible solutions.

Example: Comparing shoe brands, reading reviews, checking prices.

DECISION-MAKING

Making the final choice among options.

Example: Deciding which shoes to buy and when to buy them.

MONITORING

Following up to ensure the task is completed satisfactorily.

Example: Checking that the shoes fit, that the child wears them, that they're holding up.

Daminger's research showed that cognitive labor is often invisible — partners frequently underestimate who does this work because it happens "in your head" and leaves no physical trace.

Our Cognitive Load Tiers

Based on this research, we apply cognitive multipliers to tasks that require mental effort:

1.0×

Routine (baseline)

No active cognitive effort. Tasks done on autopilot: washing dishes, folding laundry, making beds.

1.3×

Active Thinking

Requires sustained attention, research, or judgment: grocery list creation, paying bills, gift shopping, homework help.

1.5×

Invisible Management

Involves anticipation, delegation, and monitoring across time: meal planning, family calendar management, insurance renewal, contractor coordination.

How Multipliers
Are Calculated

Each task in our database has both a physical multiplier (derived from MET values) and a cognitive multiplier (based on mental load research).

The Effective Multiplier

We calculate the effective multiplier by taking the higher of the two values:

Effective Multiplier = max(Physical, Cognitive)

Why the maximum? Because the limiting factor in task burden is whichever dimension (physical or cognitive) is more demanding. A task that is 2.5× physically and 1.0× cognitively still feels like a 2.5× task.

Examples

Task	Physical	Cognitive	Effective
Washing dishes	1.0×	1.0×	1.0×
Grocery shopping (in-store)	1.4×	1.3×	1.4×
Meal planning	1.0×	1.5×	1.5×
Mowing lawn (push mower)	2.2×	1.0×	2.2×
Home renovation (project mgmt)	1.0×	1.5×	1.5×

Understand the methodology. Now learn how to interpret your results.