Abstract
The paper has particularly focused on the role of married women in household chores and how it impacts their mental health. Several factors have been taken into consideration; like verbal aggression, social isolation, and Internalization of blame , respectively. All these factors have hurt the mental health of women. The issue of women has been described with the help of ‘labelling theory’, where the person tries to withdraw from all the social events and activities due to consistent devaluation and rejection from people. The withdrawal has thereby resulted in constricting social networks with minimal attempts to seek jobs. This study examines the association between unpaid domestic work and the mental health of married women. Unpaid domestic labour, including cooking, cleaning, childcare, eldercare, and emotional management within the household, remains disproportionately performed by women across socio-economic groups. Despite variations in education, employment status, and income, domestic responsibilities continue to be structured around traditional gender norms, positioning women as primary caregivers and household managers. The study investigates how the intensity and distribution of unpaid domestic work influence psychological well-being, stress levels, and burnout risk among married women.
The paper has adhered to both primary and secondary data. The sampling technique is purposive, where participants have been selected deliberately. The primary data has been collected through in-depth interviews, which have helped gain deeper insight into the problem. While the secondary data has been effective in gathering the existing problem, with giving shape and an idea about the problem. The findings reveal a significant positive association between hours spent on unpaid domestic work and elevated levels of perceived stress, emotional exhaustion, and reduced life satisfaction. Women engaging in longer hours of domestic labour reported chronic fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, and limited personal time. Employed women experienced role conflict and time-based stress due to balancing paid employment with household responsibilities, while unemployed women reported feelings of invisibility, dependency, and diminished self-worth