No, she's not mad at me and I'm not trying to get on her good side.
If one were to put a salary on “stay-at-home mother” it would be over $138k this year, according to the compensation experts at Salary.com. Between housekeeping, teaching, psychological counseling, van driving, cook, and several other jobs, that's what a typical stay-at-home mom would earn during her nearly-100-hour work week.
This is only a 3% raise from last year — typical cost-of-living increase for waged laborers. I sat next to a nice woman on my flight back from California a few weeks ago. We got to chatting, and she asked what my wife did, and I said that she works at home. Her reply was: “You know she works harder than you do, right?” My response: “Absolutely! No question!”
Just like one can figure out how much your children cost you, the folks at Salary.com put a price tag on being a mother. But just as you don't scrutinize how much your kids are costing you, mothers don't keep track of billable hours.
So if your mother is still around, say “Thanks a million!” She's probably earned it many times over! 😉
Happy Mother's Day!
What?? 138k per annum? Baloney. I was a "stay at home wife" and I find that salary rather inflated. How did Salary.com come up with those numbers? How about being realistic here: What would a 24 hour on call nanny and housekeeper run per year? And what wife would honestly demand payment for raising her own child? I keep my house clean because I WANT to, not for payment. BTW, I am re-entering the work force. I am not making 138,000.00 per year, but it sure would be nice. Any husbands out there want to pay me that for staying at home with the kids?
Off topic, but proof that statistics lie:
on the internet, where a lot of people get their "news" it was said that Houston was listed as the "fattest city in the US." How did these numbers come about? Oh no sir, not by medical records, but by how many fast food joints and take out existed in any given neighborhood per capita. Look it up. Houston "ma dear" by all means and observations, does not have a multitude of fat asses, through personal observation, I find Arizona with it's 100 heat does. What gives? Just so happens that Houstonites don't care to cook at home. Houston has your choice of 24 hours open! eateries, and competition's tough. I lived in a rather desirable neighborhood in Houston and at any given hour I could have my choice of American, Chines, Malay, Spanish or Greek food you name it. Kinda like NYC, the city that never sleeps. I just moved to the West, Phoenix, and was sadly disappointed that one of the largest cities in the US went to sleep after 9pm. When I say largest, I mean it. Corpulence is king (and queen) it seems here.
Salary.com comes up with the figure by calculating professional salaries hourly, then estimating the number of hours stay at home moms do such things. The number is mostly inflated because of the "CEO" position, which they rate at $165 hourly and is there because the mom runs the household.
Because the biggest problem a CEO deals with is how to get the kids to school when the cars broken down and the cable guy just arrived, right?
And moms who cook Mac & Cheese would get paid the same as a professional chef, right?
Just about every mom I've talked to about this agrees it is ridiculous. They also think it would have more impact if they were to use real research and data to generate a realistic number, instead of just the fluff piece that it is.
I think that if she receives the well-deserved respect from her husband, the father of their child/ren, then this would be a huge sum, and most likely, payment enough. After all, the priceless time we spend with our children day after day, hour after hour, ……year after year cannot be equated with a dollar amount. You couldn't pay someone enough to raise your children for you. Later in life, when your young children have grown, you will witness your rewards.
I am a stay at home mom. If I were to pay someone to do all the jobs that I do, without inflated salaries, I would have to work three full-time jobs….with over time!
But, I do what I do out of love and I’m paid in smiles, giggles and hugs. I am definitely the highest paid person in the household!