Let's map together the invisible burdens at work
Because what goes unnamed, goes unchanged.
The invisible weight that holds up the workplace
Women take on physical, emotional, cognitive, organizational, and relational efforts without recognition, compensation, and often without even being aware they exist.
These are some of the invisible burdens we carry.
Do you recognize yourself in any?
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
I have managed PCOS symptoms, including fatigue, hormonal imbalances, or physical stigmas, without support protocols that understand how it impacts my work pace.
Sanitary infrastructure
I faced a lack of sufficient, clean bathrooms or ones with menstrual hygiene supplies.
24/7 availability
I am expected to respond to requests outside working hours under a work standard that doesn't account for domestic or personal responsibilities, penalizing my right to disconnect and personal autonomy.
Appearance over substance
I spent more energy, time, and worry ensuring my image was "appropriate" for a presentation than on preparing the technical content, because my appearance is constantly evaluated in those spaces.
This #8M, with Cíclicas Lab we name them.
This is how we can make it visible together:
The exhaustion many of us feel doesn't just come from having too much work: it comes from anticipating needs, caring for the team, modulating our voice, and working through pain without rest protocols or schedule flexibility.
You don't need to have the right words: here we name them together.
1.
Name what you carry
In ~8 minutes, identify the invisible burdens you take on in your workplace.
2.
Get your personal map
Become aware of what you carry and see how you're connected to other women across the region.
3.
Explore the collective map
Each response feeds a real-time collective map from across Latin America.
We aim to build evidence so that what is invisible today becomes undeniable tomorrow.
Do you know an initiative transforming the workplace for women? Share it
We also want to be carriers of good news
We know that across the region there are teams, organizations, and people already doing things differently. We want to highlight initiatives that inspire us to envision workplaces designed for us.
Our intention
This project exists to turn experiences that are currently individual and silent — and that affect our health, our economic autonomy, and our rights — into a collective map.
An open tool that organizations, teams, and governments can use as a starting point to redesign workplaces and fairer policies for our needs and contexts.
Burdens don't weigh the same for everyone
They multiply when you're a mother, when you're Indigenous or Afro-descendant, when you live with a disability, when you work informally, or when you're a migrant.
A veces, cuando me estoy sintiendo particularmente feliz o contenta, creo que puedo proporcionar sustento a legiones de seres humanos. Puedo sostener el mundo entero en mis brazos.
Otras veces, apenas puedo cruzar la habitación. Y dejo caer mis brazos. Paralizada.
― Maira Alman, Mujeres Sosteniendo Cosas: una
celebración visual a la vida de las mujeres y sus roles.