Household Workload Calculator

Make household work visible.

List visible tasks and behind-the-scenes responsibilities, assign each one to its main owner, and estimate whether someone may be carrying a much larger share.

1. Add household members

Number of members

2. Add household work

Include physical tasks, planning, remembering, caregiving, school contact, errands, and emotional support.

Every rating below affects the estimate: owner assigns the work; frequency scales how often it occurs; effort and mental load determine its weight. The task name is used to identify the responsibility in your list.

Responsibility	Owner	Frequency	Effort	Mental load

Workload summary

Add household members and responsibilities, then calculate the distribution.

Use the estimate as a conversation starter

Fair does not always mean mathematically equal. Health, disability, age, employment, school, caregiving, and safety can affect what each person can reasonably carry. The calculator is meant to reveal patterns—not assign blame.

Children can contribute through safe, developmentally appropriate work. Families may also consider relatives, neighbors, schools, faith communities, parent groups, nonprofits, and community services. Single parents and isolated caregivers may especially benefit from building support before a crisis.

Open Community Connector

Reference

Office of the U.S. Surgeon General. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/connection/