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Dr Helen Kowalewska

@helenkowalewska.bsky.social

Mum of 2 👧👧 Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at Uni. of Bath 👩‍🏫 Gender, employment & policy 📝 Latest paper: https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcad034

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Dr Helen Kowalewska@helenkowalewska.bsky.social · last yr.

"I would discriminate against a pregnant applicant." Not all employers welcome maternity leave. My new paper shows sharp divides in support and resistance, reflecting different views, business pressures and beliefs about work & motherhood: doi.org/10.1017/S147... #academicsky #maternityleave #work

Economic, Normative, and Moral Reasoning in Employer Attitudes to Maternity Leave | Social Policy and Society | Cambridge Core

Economic, Normative, and Moral Reasoning in Employer Attitudes to Maternity Leave

doi.org

Dr Helen Kowalewska@helenkowalewska.bsky.social · last yr.

📢 Pleased to be quoted in this BBC piece on how money, power & gendered expectations shape male self-esteem: www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic... Traditional masculinity ideals can mean men struggle to feel valued outside work. 📚Link to paper: academic.oup.com/esr/article/... @agnese-vitali.bsky.social

Why money and power affects male self-esteem

What we earn can affect our mental wellbeing, especially when we compare ourselves to those around us – and it can negatively influence male mental health.

bbc.co.uk

Dr Helen Kowalewska@helenkowalewska.bsky.social · last yr.

With @anacweeks.bsky.social & @leahruppanner.bsky.social we show that even mothers with high-paid, full-time jobs can’t bargain out of the mental load. Unlike physical chores, the mental load is an “unbargainable burden”— no matter their resources, women do it all. papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

Ana Catalano Weeks@anacweeks.bsky.social · last yr.

🚨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.
Dr Helen Kowalewska@helenkowalewska.bsky.social · last yr.

The BBC presenters’ dispute highlights how gender and age discrimination shape careers - even at the highest levels. Workplace inequalities don’t disappear with experience but often worsen with age. www.bbc.com/news/article... #GenderEquality #AgeDiscrimination #WomenAtWork

BBC: Martine Croxall, Annita McVeigh, Karin Giannone and Kasia Madera settle sex and age discrimination dispute

The quartet claimed they lost their roles on the BBC News Channel following a "rigged" recruitment.

bbc.com