Who is doing the office housework?

Who Is Doing the Office Housework?

Office housework: work predominantly done by women that contributes to the business but isn't formally recognised in performance reviews, typically does not lead to advancement, and isn't usually compensated.

"I do more administrative work compared to my male peers."

This is a classic line among our Nordic female clients at Authentic Leaders. Without hesitation, we hear this answer over and over when we ask our female clients directly: are you performing more administrative work compared to your male peers?

The research behind office housework

Women do more office housework, and while these administrative tasks are appreciated, they don't pay off — an observation Harvard Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter has documented. We can only echo that finding: office housework is often invisible or taken for granted, and it's one of the hidden barriers for women. Always being the fixer can become harmful to a woman's career progression, and it isn't sustainable for her, her team, or her organisation. Volunteering to help others, again and again, comes with a real cost of missed opportunities.

Men are more likely to contribute through visible behaviours, like showing up at optional meetings, while women engage more privately in time-consuming activities such as helping others with their work, volunteering for extra tasks, and coaching colleagues. According to Simmons College management professor Joyce K. Fletcher, women's communal contributions tend simply to "disappear."

When men do perform office housework, it's more likely to be regarded as altruistic — going out of their way to help with something considered a natural duty for their female peers. Gender stereotypes are still embedded in most organisational cultures, where we expect men to be ambitious and results-oriented, and women to be nurturing and communal, but not "too ambitious." Women are conditioned to be helpers from childhood, and so often experience genuine pleasure in helping others. Men are conditioned to be celebrated for it, and to expect praise in return.

New York University psychologist Madeline Heilman's research evaluated the performance ratings of male and female employees who did or did not stay late to help colleagues prepare for an important meeting. For staying late and helping, a man was rated 14 percent more favourably than a woman. When both declined to help, a woman was rated 12 percent lower than a man. And after giving identical help, a man was significantly more likely to be recommended for promotions, important projects, raises, and bonuses. A woman had to help just to receive the same rating as a man who hadn't.

The likability trap

Women are held to a different standard of likability, and experience double standards that function like a glass ceiling. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Wharton professor Adam Grant observed in a New York Times article that when a woman declines to help a colleague, people like her less and her career suffers — but when a man says no, he faces no backlash. A man who doesn't help is "busy"; a woman is "selfish."

Can women be powerful and likable at the same time? A study by the Norwegian think tank Agenda and the Oslo School of Management found that women are held to a different standard than male executives. Students were asked to read two identical stories, differing only in the gender of the main character. Even in one of the world's most equal countries, respondents ranked the female character much lower on both likability and "good leader" scores. A similar study, carried out by Harvard University, produced the same results.

What leaders can do

We want to see more women in leadership and board positions. But women are more likely to be asked, or expected, to perform administrative work that goes unseen, unrewarded, and disconnected from bonuses, promotions, or a helpful network — even though it remains genuinely beneficial to the company. It's vital that sponsors, mentors, and leaders recognise this bias trap, and help women set healthy boundaries before burnout, resignation, or a missed promotion follow.

Research suggests both sexes are more likely to ask women to volunteer for office housework, so be an ally: stop asking only women to help with admin work. Call it out. Allocate the work deliberately, or volunteer yourself. If you notice one female colleague is repeatedly asked to handle the same admin task, speak up, or say you'll do it this time. This is a fundamental step leadership needs to recognise and act on deliberately, in building a genuinely equal workplace. It begins at the top. Break the bias.

Women leaders at manager level are more likely than men to support wellbeing, diversity, equity, and inclusion — qualities we now expect of leaders, and which are seen as vital for companies that want to be a leading employer, especially for younger generations. The Women in the Workplace 2021 report, by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.Org, documents that women are more likely to provide emotional support, check in on overall wellbeing, help colleagues navigate work/life challenges, and support actions to prevent burnout. Yet many companies still don't formally recognise this work as vital, even as they accept the need to focus on these exact areas to attract and retain people. It isn't enough to post glossy employer-branding images of a culture that lives up to Millennial and Gen Z expectations. That kind of window dressing can quickly become an Achilles' heel. Employer branding must be embedded in company culture, and it must live up to the fair expectations of the people who choose to invest their time and capabilities in making a difference.

Own your results

We all need to own our careers and claim our results. Don't wait and assume that after some years of work, it will finally be your turn to be promoted. It's vital that women make a conscious choice to own not only their career, but also their work, collaborations, and results — and ensure that office housework becomes a deliberate choice, whose value is genuinely appreciated. Don't simply volunteer and expect it will lead somewhere. Look at your male peers: how much more are you doing compared to them? Be critical, and don't assume. Be aware that getting coffee, baking cakes, and planning office parties tend to be regarded as personal investment. They will probably increase your likability, but they won't secure the important projects that lead to promotion.

Women also tend to adhere more closely to the rules, and to underestimate their own capabilities, skills, talents, and results. Ask someone why they delivered a great piece of work, and men will tend to point to internal factors — "I'm brilliant," "I'm good at this."

Women will tend to point to external ones — "I was lucky," "somebody helped me," "I worked really hard." Own your work, and claim your success. No one gets promoted without understanding their own results, and women are not promoted simply because they are women. Don't assume otherwise.

Ending the bias

Ending gender bias at work begins with a fair share of the office housework. Fostering a workplace culture that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion is simply the right thing to do — and it's also good for business, creativity, innovation, and for attracting and retaining talent. It's worth adding that the effect of unseen, unrewarded office housework is even worse for non-white women. Many men believe there is now a bias against male leadership and male promotion, yet men still hold the majority of leadership positions in most organisations. Equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion lead to better performance and greater productivity — this isn't a zero-sum game. We all have an interest in seeing more women in leadership and board positions. Representation matters. Be an ally. From unconscious bias to conscious inclusion.

Authentic Leaders coaches leaders to become authentic, inclusive leaders who help people flourish and build genuine followership. We elevate leaders to be courageous, and to be a positive force for kindness and hope — becoming even more skilled at influencing and making an impactful difference, creating sustainable transformation aligned with their strengths, and leading with a growth mindset that includes others and focuses on wellbeing.