iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

It's back-to-school time, and with it, time for the mental load to ramp up! For the 1st time my 3 kids are all in different schools... I’m already dreading all the school apps. 🫣 Our research w/ 3,000 US parents finds moms handle 71% of the load. What are you doing to share or reduce it??

Chart showing how mothers and fathers in a sample of 3,000 US parents report responsibility for 21 cognitive household tasks. Mothers report being primarily responsible for cleaning, scheduling, childcare, social relationships, and food-related mental load. Fathers report greater primary responsibility for home maintenance, while financial tasks are more evenly divided. Examples of large gender gaps include keeping track of the family calendar, planning family events, scheduling appointments, researching children’s purchases, coordinating playdates, and tracking groceries. Source: Weeks & Ruppanner, Journal of Marriage and Family.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Have you read @malugatto.bsky.social's insightful book, Resistance to Gender Quotas in Latin America? Malu's book advances a novel theory of male resistance shaped by political ambition and electoral vulnerability. Check out my full review in @jwpp.bsky.social: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

They emphasised the importance of remote participation in enabling access for many groups of people, and support for care costs, not only about the logistics but in reducing stigma around using it.

The text describes qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses, in particular related to the challenges of accessing care policies in practice and the stigma around claiming costs for care.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

We then asked councillors how likely they would be to stand for election to that council on a 0–10 scale. Among women councillors, family-friendly policies increased willingness to stand again by almost a full point (6.7 → 7.7). Among men, there was no detectable effect.

The figure shows a clustered bar chart of average self reported likelihood of standing for election by treatment group and gender with 95 percent confidence intervals. The horizontal axis lists 4 groups, from left to right: Men Control, Men Treatment, Women Control, and Women Treatment. The vertical axis is labeled Mean Likelihood of Standing 0 to 10, with a numeric scale from 0 to 10 marked at intervals of 2 units. Each group is represented by a single vertical bar with a thin line and cap showing the confidence interval. For men, the control bar reaches 7.94 and the treatment bar reaches 7.90, with overlapping error bars. For women, the control bar reaches 6.72 and the treatment bar reaches 7.66, with limited overlap of error bars. Overall, men show similar mean likelihood in control and treatment, while women show a higher mean in the treatment group than in the control group.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

🚨New paper out in JEPP @jeppjournal.bsky.social 🎉 Women are underrepresented in local politics, and the problem isn't only their election but retention. In a survey experiment with 500+ English councillors, we find that family-friendly council policies increase women's static ambition. 🧵

The picture shows the article abstract: Women’s representation in European local governments remains stagnant at around one-third of councillors. One explanation for this longstanding gender gap relates to structural barriers blocking the supply of women candidates, including working practices which are not compatible with caring responsibilities. Yet, so far we do not know whether measures governments can implement to remedy this, including reimbursing care expenses and remote working, increase women’s political ambition. To answer this question, the study uses a survey experiment fielded to local councillors in England (N = 534). The survey manipulates exposure to a bundled set of family-friendly policies in a hypothetical council to identify the causal effect of such policies on static political ambition (councillors’ willingness to run for their current level of office), and explores heterogeneous effects by gender. The introduction of family-friendly policies significantly increases women’s, but not men’s, willingness to run for office again. Analysis of open-ended survey responses further reveals that women councillors more frequently brought up the difficulty of balancing care and work with a political role, while men were less likely to mention this. Overall, the study contributes new evidence about the important role that family policies might play in closing gender gaps in political ambition.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

“I am delighted to conditionally accept your article for publication in The Journal of Politics.” 🥳 We find that gender quota laws for legislatures also increase the share of women in cabinets. w @gventurini.bsky.social @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...

Gender Quota Laws and Women in Cabinets
36 Pages
Posted: 16 Dec 2024
Last revised: 11 Feb 2026
Tiffany Barnes
University of Texas at Austin

Giulia Venturini
University of Strathclyde

Ana Weeks
University of Bath

Date Written: December 06, 2024

Abstract
Do legislative gender quotas increase women’s presence in cabinets? Women remain underrepresented in political leadership worldwide. As a remedy, over 80 countries have adopted gender quotas, requiring parties to nominate or elect a minimum share of women. But can quotas have effects beyond the positions they directly target? We argue that quotas increase the presence of women in executive cabinets by expanding the pool of experienced female legislators. Using a global dataset (168 countries) from 1990 to 2021, we find gender quotas increase the share of women ministers by 15 percent relative to the average baseline–including increases in both high- and lowprestige portfolios. Consistent with a supply-side mechanism, effects are largest in parliamentary democracies—where ministers are often selected from parliament—and in countries that experienced the greatest increases in women’s legislative representation post-quota. The findings suggest quotas can generate meaningful spillover effects at the highest levels of government.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

First in-studio radio interview ✔️ This was a lot of fun! Was it like being on Frasier (my main point of reference)? Kind of! You can listen to me talk about why I study the mental load and some of our key findings from about 2:10 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Using original, hand-coded text analysis of PRR party manifestos (30 parties, 25 European countries, 1984–2022), we find: 🔹 Vote loss → more mentions of women’s rights 🔹 BUT no shift to egalitarian positions 🔹 Instead, parties adopt risk-averse (neutral) or femonationalist stances

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Populist Radical Right (PRR) parties are often seen as Männerparteien—men’s parties. But in recent years, many have added women’s interests to their agendas. ❓But are these genuine shifts in gender ideology, or tactical moves?

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Great APSA in beautiful Vancouver 🍁 I’m inspired by all the great gender & politics research I saw! Capped it off with a gorgeous whale watching experience. We saw orcas and humpbacks 🐋 🐳 🤩

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

🚨New working paper🚨 "Take a Load Off? Not for Mothers" Time & money help mothers offload physical household labor —but not the mental load. Cognitive labor is an “unbargainable burden.” w/ @helenkowalewska.bsky.social @leahruppanner.bsky.social 📄 papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... Feedback welcome!

Abstract: Globally, women continue to bear a disproportionate share of unpaid household labor. Recent research highlights that gender disparities in cognitive labor—the “thinking work” required to anticipate and monitor household needs—are even more pronounced than in physical household labor. Traditional theories attribute these inequalities to time availability, relative resources, and gender norms. However, it remains unclear whether these frameworks apply equally to cognitive and physical household labor. This paper introduces a new theory of gendered cognitive stickiness to explain how the domestic mental load is distributed. We argue that cognitive labor’s invisibility and lack of clear boundaries make it uniquely resistant to negotiation. Even women who successfully bargain their way out of physical chores remain disproportionately responsible for cognitive labor. Using a large-scale survey of 2,133 partnered, heterosexual U.S. parents, we find that while women’s employment and earnings have reduced their physical household labor, these factors do not alleviate their cognitive household burden. Mothers perform nearly all of this work, regardless of their time or resources. Cognitive labor remains an “unbargainable burden” for women, exposing a hidden constraint that suggests progress toward gender equality in the home is even more incomplete than previously recognized.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

We would like to invite you to join the @uniofbath.bsky.social hybrid workshop on gender, parenthood and academic careers, organized by the Departments of Politics and International Studies and Economics. Link to join online in comments, and some in-person spaces available! Thursday, March 27

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Interestingly, in response to the mental load prime fathers but not mothers prefer reduced working hours for their partner. Our findings thus suggest that fathers consider compensating for this cogntive burden at the expense of their spouse’s working time. 8/9

Figure 6. Effect of Mental Load Priming on Preferred Working Hours for Self and Partner, for Mothers and Fathers.

Notes: The plot depicts point estimates with 95 per cent confidence intervals for the treatment effects (mental load priming) on the outcome variables measuring hours per week respondents would choose to work (described on the y-axis). Full results can be found in Tables A3 and A4 of the Appendix. Data include 997 respondents (500 mothers, 497 fathers).

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

The experimental results show a negative impact of mental load priming on political interest, likelihood of public forms of political participation, vote intention, and interest in opportunities to advance at work. It also negatively impacts preferred working hours. 7/9

Figure 3. Effect of Mental Load Priming on Engagement in Politics and Work.

Notes: The plot depicts point estimates with 95 per cent confidence intervals for the treatment effects (mental load priming) on the outcome variables measuring intentions to engage in politics and workplace advancement (described on the y-axis). Full results can be found in Table A2 of the Appendix. Data include 998 respondents.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Mothers are also less likely to believe that the division of mental work in their household is fair, and more likely to express negative emotions such as stress or unhappiness about it. 6/9

Table 2. Mental Load Survey Responses by Gender

Note: Entries for Men and Women are mean values. The Difference column reports the differences in means (Fathers minus mothers) and the final column corresponding p-values according to t-tests.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Our descriptive data provides confirmation from a new case (the UK) that gender gaps in the mental load are large, and associated with stress and negative emotions for mothers but not fathers. Mothers say they do 78% of the mental load in their households, while fathers report doing 57%. 5/9

Figure 1. Gender differences in mental household labour among parents in the UK.

The survey question reads, ‘Considering all the mental work to take care of your household, about how much of this work is done by you, as opposed to someone else?’ Response ranges from 0 to 100. Data include 997 respondents (500 women, 497 men).

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

To test our argument, we rely on original experimental data from employed UK parents w children. We manipulate the salience of individual mental load by asking respondents to think carefully about it, writing a list of mental tasks they are mostly responsible for & asking their feelings about it 4/9

Table 1. Summary Statistics, UK Parents (Prolific Sample)

Notes: All survey respondents are confirmed to be employed parents of children ages 0 to 18 living in the UK (eligibility criteria implemented via blocking on pre-survey data by Prolific). Not all respondents answered the question about the age of the youngest child, and some respondents are parents who do not have children living at home. Note that the response options for the number of children living at home range from minimum ‘0’ to maximum ‘4 or more’, which we code as ‘4’. The study was fielded from May 24, 2023 to June 4, 2023.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Instead, self-estimates are closer to measures of the types of mental load that parents are mostly responsible for (daily for mothers, episodic for fathers). This suggests that mothers and fathers are seeing families' total domestic mental work through a prism of their primary tasks. 8/10

Table showing mean estimates of domestic cognitive labor by type of measure and gender.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Both mothers and fathers tend to overestimate their work when we compare responses to a question asking them to estimate the total share of mental load in their household they personally do -- fathers more than mothers. And fathers are more likely to view the work as shared. 7/10

Table showing mean responses to all task-based domestic mental load items by gender.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

And there are important differences in the types of mental load that mothers and fathers do. Mothers say they take on 79% of daily tasks (fathers 37%), while fathers claim responsibility for 65% of episodic tasks (mothers 53%). This means that some work is likely duplicated. 6/10

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Using factor analysis, we show that responses to the mental load items form two distinct dimesions, separating into core (cleaning, scheduling, child care, social relationships, food) and episodic (home maintenance, finances) labor. This is true even looking at mothers and fathers separately. 4/10

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

We draw on a novel survey battery of 21 distinct measures of domestic cognitive labor from a sample of US parents (n = 3000) selected to be representative of the US population of parents wrt age, race/ethnicity, gender, and education. 3/10

Table describing 21 domestic cognitive labor question items.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

Delighted to share a new publication out today in the Journal of Marriage and Family w/ the brilliant @leahruppanner.bsky.social. In "A typology of US parents’ mental loads: Core and episodic cognitive labor" we assess underlying patterns in the domestic "mental load" among 3,000 US parents. 🧵 1/10

Abstract for "A Typology of US parents' mental loads: Core and episodic cognitive labor"

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Headed home after a great visit to Uppsala to present research on gender quota spillovers into cabinets. Tack 🙏 @ollefolke.bsky.social, the 🌟 grad students who invited me & the whole crew for excellent comments 💡 @ceciliajosefsson.bsky.social @parzetterberg.bsky.social @elinbja.bsky.social

The picture shows a view of Uppsala, Sweden overlooking the river.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 29/10/2024

😂 😂 reminds me of this one that went viral a while back!

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 18/10/2024

Happy to share 🆕 research in @sespjournal.bsky.social w a wonderful team 🌟 @pcaravantes.bsky.social, @elombardo.bsky.social, Ana Espírito-Santo, Maria Stratigaki, & Sami Gul. We ask, when do parties give attention to gender-related political interests, and what determines their positions?

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 03/10/2024

Headed home after a great visit to @manchesterup.bsky.social to present new research on femonationalism to the Democracy & Elections network. 🙏 Maria Sobolewska for the invite, and the whole crew for insightful, constructive comments (followed by 🍕)! If interested in the paper lmk, feedback welcome

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 19/03/2024

Looking forward to visiting Essex today to present new research w @tiffanydbarnes.bsky.social and Giulia Venturini on gender quota laws & executive power. We find that quotas for parliaments increase women’s representation in governments, although effects are concentrated in low prestige posts.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 31/01/2024

It’s here…my book Making Gender Salient: From Gender Quotas Laws to Policy @CUP_PoliSci is out in paperback! 💰 When, and how, do quota laws lead to policy change? Read more about & reviews in Social Forces Perspectives on Politics @politicsgenderj.bsky.social ➡️ scholar.harvard.edu/anacweeks/book

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 08/12/2023

5) The same is true among fathers. But, since fathers report less responsibility for mental load (they are on the low side of the distribution), the "effect" of mental load tends to be mostly positive. 7/10

the figure shows the predicted values of political discussion with family and friends by the share of the mental load, among fathers

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 08/12/2023

4) However, as the fig shows, the pattern reverses after a point. At high shares of mental load, engagement often decreases. For the majority of mothers, mental load tends to depress frequency of political discussion. The mental load can crowd out space for political life. 6/10

the figure shows the predicted values of political discussion with family and friends by share of the mental load, among mothers

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 08/12/2023

3) In fact, I find that at low levels mental load can be positively related to engagement. One interpretation = taking on some of this responsibility can enhance skills, knowledge, and sense of efficacy -- all relevant for political life. Eg -- political discussion (fig) 5/10

figure shows predicte values of political discusssion with family and friends by share of the mental load, for mothers

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 08/12/2023

2) The gender gap in mental load work is larger than gender gap in physical household labor. AND the same factors that reduce mothers' time spent in physical household labor (like income level and relative income in household), do not reduce their share of the mental load. 3/10

The figure shows a coefficient plot of determinants of share of mental load among parents, by gender

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 08/12/2023

1) Mothers report doing the majority of cognitive household labor across most issue domains I ask about. Eg, mothers report primary responsiblity for 83% of scheduling work (like planning a family event), vs fathers' 35%. On average, gender gap in mental load = 27 pct pts 2/10

Figure shows the reported responsibility for cognitive household labor tasks, by gender

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 05/12/2023

It was great to welcome #PetraSchleiter to our @PoLIS_Bath research seminar today & hear about the important work she is doing on voter ID reform in the UK (w dream team #MargitTavits @homola.bsky.social)! Spoiler alert: it’s not good news.

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 01/11/2023

Very happy to talk to colleagues at Kings CompPol seminar today about experimental research priming personal mental load (joint w the brilliant @annanhelgoy.bsky.social). 🙏 to #RalucaPahontu #MartaAntonetti & all for v useful comments! Paper 👉 (feedback welcome) scholar.harvard.edu/sites/schola...

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 30/09/2023

Tack 🙏 to @floriso.bsky.social and the wonderful group at Lund poli sci for hosting an inspiring gender & politics workshop!

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Ana Catalano Weeks @anacweeks.bsky.social · 22/09/2023

How does the framing of positive action measures -- gender "quota" or "parity" laws -- affect public support and potential backlash? Presenting results of survey experiments in UK & France next week in Lund as part of a great workshop organized by @floriso.bsky.social 🏷️ polisky genderksy

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