What is kinkeeping, the invisible workload often done by women?

You might not be familiar with the term ‘kinkeeping’, but the chances are you’ve benefited from it at some point in your life, in particular as a child but also in adulthood if you’re a man. It refers to the household or family tasks that are subconsciously assigned to women due to their gender.

Of course, it’s pretty much equivalent to unpaid labour, and a lot of the time is taken for granted, going without any credit or even thanks. American sociologist Carolyn J. Rosenthal coined the term in 1985, in an article entitled Kinkeeping in the familial division of labor. She observed that the role of kinkeeper was often passed down from mother to daughter in nuclear families. The only study on the subject to date was carried out in 1996, and showed that 85% of kinkeepers were women aged from 40 to 69.

Why are people talking about kinkeeping now? What are the negative consequences of kinkeeping? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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