Leah Ruppanner - Drained: The Real Mental Load and How to Reclaim Your Life

About

A transformative talk on invisible labour, modern womanhood and the true cost of the mental load.
Why are so many women exhaustedeven in households committed to equality? Why does mental overload persist across all stages of life? And what would happen if we finally understood the deeper structures shaping womens emotional and cognitive labour?

In this revelatory session, internationally acclaimed sociologist Professor Leah Ruppanner introduces her groundbreaking new book Drained, a work already being hailed as a major contribution to understanding modern womanhood. While the mental load is often described as lists, chores and logistics, Ruppanner shows that it is far more intricate: a continual, often invisible process of thinking several steps ahead, maintaining emotional harmony, anticipating needs, supporting relationships and curating a familys happiness and wellbeing. Drawing on new research published for the first time, she maps eight distinct forms of mental load and the seven life stages in which they intensify, revealing why even highly capable, organised women often feel stretched thin despite doing everything right.

Ruppanner invites audiences to stop blaming themselves and instead examine the systems, expectations and cultural norms that make the mental load so uniquely heavy. She weaves science with vivid examples to show where the real pressure points lie, why the burden so often falls disproportionately on women, andmost importantlyhow we can make meaningful, practical changes to reclaim our time, energy and sense of self. The result is a deeply empowering vision of how women can reshape their daily lives, build more balanced relationships and create space for richer, more joyful experiences.

Early readers describe Drained as a revelation, the book every woman has been waiting for, and a game-changer for families and workplaces alike. Combining the analytical power of Invisible Women with the emotional insight of Untamed, Ruppanner offers a toolkit that is both intellectually rigorous and profoundly humane, providing clarity and hope for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer mental effort of keeping life functioning.

Leah Ruppanner is a world-leading sociologist, Professor at the University of Melbourne, and Founding Director of the Future of Work Lab. Her research centres on gender, work, family life and public policy, and she is one of the foremost experts on the mental load and the dynamics of contemporary households. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, Vogue, The Guardian, The Atlantic and numerous other major outlets, and she is celebrated for her ability to translate robust social science into insights that are clear, relatable and transformative.
Drained is her most ambitious book to date, distilling over a decade of research into a powerful new framework for understanding emotional labour and offering a practical, hopeful path toward more equitable and fulfilling lives.

A Q&A Session will follow.