proverb · Legacy record
A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done.
A man's work is from sun to sun, but a mother's work is never done.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying gives a man’s work a daily boundary while making a mother’s work endless. It draws attention to continuing care responsibilities.
What the words are saying
The contrast can reveal overlooked work while also enforcing a gender division. A useful interpretation identifies actual labour and support needs without assuming men never provide care or mothers must carry it alone. The statement is not measured evidence of everyone’s working hours.
Everyday example
A household names ongoing care tasks and discusses how responsibility can be shared.
When to use it
Use it to discuss care work with gender expectations questioned.
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What it does not mean
No universal work pattern or proper assignment of care by gender is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 625; PDF page 91
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.