03548nam a2200361 a 4500 20260818093824.0 260227s20259999th mm 000 0 eng d .b12481671 AIT RSPR no.GD-25-03 Madumali, Wasala Mudiyanselage Naduni Digital device use in managing unpaid care work : implications for the mental load of mothers in urban Colombo,Sri Lanka Pathum Thani, Thailand : Asian Institute of Technology, 2025 81 leaves : ill.+ 1 Online resource Research studies project report ; no. no.GD-25-03 A research study submitted in patial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies Research (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2025 This study examines how mothers in urban Colombo navigate the growing expectation to perform digital carework{u2014}the management of children{u2019}s educational, social, and daily needs through digital devices{u2014}within the broader landscape of unpaid carework. As smartphones, messaging applications, and online school platforms become central to children{u2019}s routines, mothers increasingly carry the cognitive, emotional, and managerial labour associated with both offline and online caregiving tasks. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 10 mothers who are full-time caregivers and those employed outside the home, the study explores how digital devices intensify mental load through continuous monitoring, information processing, anticipatory planning, and rapid decision-making. Guided by a gendered division of labour framework combined with the concept of mental load, the study analyses how digital engagement shapes the cognitive, emotional, and managerial dimensions of unpaid carework.The findings reveal that while digital tools can reduce aspects of unpaid carework by enabling reminders, improving coordination, and providing moments of respite or community support, they simultaneously extend the boundaries of carework into all times and spaces, creating expectations of constant availability. The invisibility of digital carework{u2014}often misinterpreted as leisure{u2014}further reinforces gendered social norms, as mothers remain the default point of contact for schools and households, with limited support from fathers. This research contributes to emerging discussions on the intersection of gender, technology, and unpaid labour by foregrounding the mental load generated through digital engagement and highlighting how digital carework reproduces, and in some cases reconfigures, existing inequalities in caregiving responsibilities. Wages Women Sri Lanka Columbo Unpaid labor Sri Lanka Columbo Chatterjee, Joyee S., Chairperson Kusakabe, Kyoko, Examination Committee Hossain, Julaikha B., Examination Committee AIT Scholarship, Scholarship Donor Asian Institute of Technology. Research studies project report ; no. no.GD-25-03 Full-Text http://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B23718 .b12481671 mnarc a 260316 0 260312 m h a 0 mnarc 67 Barcode : - CREATED : 2026-02-27 RECORD # : i13578844 LPATRON : 0 LCHKIN : - # RENEWALS : 0 # OVERDUE : 0 IUSE3 : 0 TOT CHKOUT : 0 TOT RENEW : 0 30255 30255 0 0 0 0 MAIN MAIN mnarc 2026-08-18 0 AIT RSPR no.GD-25-03 2026-08-18 09:38:24 1 2026-08-18 67