In 2018, geographer Carol Farbotko, wrote Domestic Environmental Labour: An Ecofeminist Perspective on Making Homes Greener. Here, she argued that the work of making homes environmentally sustainable is a distinct form of unpaid labour that is often feminised and undervalued.
Governments encourage citizens to recycle and brands urge consumers to make greener choices. Social media is filled with advice on reducing waste, buying local and living consciously. Yet beneath all these well-intentioned messages, let us ask ourselves who is actually doing the work of sustainability?
The reusable cloth bag hanging by the front door did not get there by accident. Similarly, the vegetable peels destined for compost do not magically separate themselves from the rest of the kitchen waste. Cutting old T-shirts into cleaning rags and transforming leftovers into tomorrow's lunch are age-old habits, but they are now celebrated as markers of a sustainable household. The women behind these acts however, remain unacknowledged.
Sociologists have recently begun to describe these tasks as a form of ‘household sustainability labour’ or the unpaid work required to make environmentally responsible living possible. Like emotional labour or mental load, green labour extends far beyond physical chores. It involves planning, remembering, and constantly making decisions that minimise environmental impact.
In Indian homes, where women already perform a disproportionate share of unpaid domestic work, sustainability often becomes another responsibility added to an already overflowing list.
More Than Chores
The sustainability burden in a household is not one dramatic or heroic task. It involves hundreds of tiny decisions scattered across the day. Someone has to remember to carry reusable shopping bags before leaving home or wash the milk packets before they’re sent for recycling. Should old clothes be repurposed, donated or discarded? That’s another decision to make. Then there are constant reminders to switch off unnecessary lights or avoid ordering food with disposable cutlery. These habits require constant cognitive effort.
A family may proudly say, ‘We recycle,’ but recycling is not an automatic process. Waste has to be sorted correctly and recyclables often need cleaning. In many Indian cities, residents coordinate separately with waste collectors, apartment associations and informal recycling networks. Someone keeps track of all this.
Likewise, reducing food waste means planning meals carefully, monitoring expiry dates, creatively using leftovers and buying only what will be consumed. These actions save money and reduce environmental impact, but they also demand time, attention and emotional energy.
The Gender Gap In Green Living
Studies across several countries show that women report stronger environmental concern and engage more frequently in sustainable household practices than men. Researchers suggest there are several reasons for this.
Women are expected to manage household health and wellbeing. Food, cleaning, childcare and shopping are already feminised responsibilities, so sustainability naturally becomes attached to them. The person planning meals is expected to minimise food waste and whoever is buying groceries needs to choose eco-friendly products. The person managing laundry has to reduce water and energy use. None of these expectations appear unreasonable in isolation.
Together, however, they create what sociologists call ‘role accumulation’ or the gradual piling up of responsibilities until one individual becomes the household's default manager for every new concern. Environmental responsibility joins nutrition, budgeting, caregiving, education and emotional management on the same person's plate.
Ironically, sustainability is often marketed using images of serene women arranging glass jars in spotless pantries or mothers packing zero-waste lunchboxes. While visually appealing, these images subtly reinforce the idea that environmentally responsible homes are primarily women's achievement. Priyanka Chopra called this out when she said, ‘Cleaning and cooking aren't women's work. They're basic adulting. Don't confuse gender with laziness’.
The Hidden Cost
Buying locally may require visiting multiple shops instead of ordering online. Composting demands regular maintenance and repairing appliances takes more effort than replacing them. Refilling containers can involve extra travel. Homemade cleaners save plastic but require preparation. Each environmentally responsible decision consumes time.
For women balancing paid work alongside domestic responsibilities in millions of urban Indian households, these additional demands can create decision fatigue and guilt. Many women describe feeling responsible when sustainable habits slip. If plastic bags are forgotten or food is wasted, the failure often feels personal.
A Shared Responsibility
The solution is not to abandon sustainable practices. It is to recognise that environmental responsibility is collective. Families can begin by making invisible tasks visible. Instead of assigning chores only by activity (cooking, cleaning or shopping), households can divide planning responsibilities. One partner could manage grocery planning to reduce food waste, another could oversee recycling schedules, while older children can be responsible for carrying reusable bottles, sorting waste or remembering cloth bags before shopping trips.
Children should learn sustainability as a life skill rather than seeing it performed exclusively by their mothers. Something as simple as rotating responsibility for ensuring lights are switched off can normalise shared accountability from an early age. Technology can also reduce the mental load. Shared shopping lists, reminder apps and digital calendars prevent one person from becoming the family's memory bank. Most importantly, instead of asking, ‘Are we buying eco-friendly products?’ families might instead ask, ‘Who is making this happen?’
Beyond The Household
Governments and businesses often encourage consumers to behave more sustainably while overlooking the unpaid labour required to implement these recommendations. Better recycling infrastructure, refill systems that are genuinely convenient, accessible composting services and products designed for reuse can reduce the burden on households. True sustainability is not only about reducing waste or lowering carbon footprints. It is also about creating homes where the work is shared fairly.