Salary.com estimates the work 'stay-at-home-moms' do is worth $138,000 annually. Do you agree?

Question

think it's just right? too much? or too little?

Answer 1

For years, I have watched shows like Yes Dear and Everybody Love's Raymond, where the wife is a stay at home mother (homemaker). The wife always tries to argue how stressful her homemaker job is and how she does all the work. Well guess what.... the occupation of stay-at-home-mom is not a real job!!!!! I saw that article on Salary.com and it stated that a mother's jobs included janitor, computer analyst, van driver, and all these other bullshit jobs.

The bottom line is this. If you were working a real job you would bring home a paycheck. Do stay-at-home-moms bring home paychecks? Absolutely not!!! Furthermore, I have a problem with mothers stating that taking care of their own child is a job. If they see it as a job then maybe they shouldn't have become mothers. They should be cherishing every minute they spend with their children.

Finally, why don't these state-at-home-mom's, hire a babysitter, and go get a real job. Even after they pay for the babysitter, the mother would still be left with some extra money. The real reason is because these homemakers are to lazy and too stupid to handle a real job. They couldn't handle working 40+ hours a week in a real work setting instead of sitting on their fat asses eating Bon Bons and watching Oprah.

That article was a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

I think the point of these surveys is to show the parent that works outside the house just how many different jobs the one that stays at home is actually doing. You say we live rent free well does a live in housekeeper live rent free no they earn their room and board. I am responsible for not only my children but my husband as well. I see to it that he has clean clothes, food on the table when he gets home, I am his alarm clock, he doesn't have to do yard work I do all of that, He brings the money home I go to the bank and run paying all the bills, buying what the kids need, he needs, what is needed for the house and then I get what I need. I am 50% responsible for my kids. I am the one who gets them up, dressed, breakfast, lunch packed, off to school, to piano, dance, karate, ball practice or scouts, I help with their homeowrk, take them to playdates, cook and clean for them. I get them ready for bed read to them and tuck them in. He does his share by seeing to it that they have a roof over their head and the money to pay the bills. I am the plumber when something gets put down the drain that shouldn't. The carpenter when holes get put in the wall or a room needs painted, I drive at least 500 miles aweek just running kids where they need to be. I am on call 24/7 there is no day off my husband however gets weekends off to watch tv or go fishing I am still cooking and cleaning. So you figure even at $7 an hour with overtime that is still over 90k a year and last time I checked plumbers, chauffers, cooks, and maids all got more than 7 an hour. Now that my kids are older I do work some during the day while they are in school. I do not think I am better than anyone else because neither a stay at home parent or a working parent is paid enough in my book. My husband may work but he is just as much a parent as I am. I think the husbands that are deemed as being less a parent are the ones who say I make the money you raise the kids. if they do not want to be a parent fine dont have a kid but just because they make the money does not make them a good parent just as staying at home does not make someone a better parent. Having kids is hard work no matter how you look at.

Answer 3

Worth all of 138K.

It makes me wonder if it isn't a grand conspiracy having moms in the workforce earning minimum wage, when obviously someone else must be picking up the slack for all the work that makes a stay-at-home mother so valuable. Either that or a whole lot of stuff isn't being done for the families of working mothers.

Not sure I've articulated my thoughts very well, hopefully enough to get the general idea across.

Answer 4

Thats good enough.
Its not about play dates and story time. Taking care of kids (especially more than just one) involves alot of work.
We dont get sick days, lunch breaks or even a potty break.
We teach our kids, take care of them when theyre sick, up all night sometimes, we make sure they have a life, go out, have friends, we lug them to doctors, stores and they dont usually come along happily. Theyre fighting, crying, whining, begging. The pee on themselves sometimes, they make HUGE messes. And were always on call. It never really ends. There never reeally is a break (until hubby comes home). And a good mom has a hard job, trying to teach our kids morals, good character, trying to model what they should be even if were sooo mad. Its not enough to keep them alive, feed them and clothe them.

Answer 5

this is bad data, and I'll tell you why-

look at it form the other perspective; CEOs can make 100 or more times an hour than other employees who may, in fact, work harder. So how much is 60 hrs a week worth? is there any reason why one person's time is worth 100x or more than another person?

if you want to take the false premise of this "article" further, let me ask you this- what other job in the world has that kind of expense account?

Answer 6

Being a "stay at home parent" (not just women do this) is beyond a full-time job since the work goes well past the typical 8-hour work-day. Plus, you're "on call" 24/7/365, you can't call in sick, you get no vacation time...so, yeah, I'd agree that its around that amount...might be too low, though.

Answer 7

thats not really a fair assumption b/c all your personal stuff could also be considered work. So that means the average joe would also make more if you took house work into consideration. Also house work isn't exactly high paying. The kids go to school 8 hours a day 5 days a week, so you also have to factor that in.

Answer 8

Yes. And I "settle" for the salary of exactly half of my husband's salary . . . Seriously, in deciding whether or not to go back to work right now, I have looked at what it would cost us to pay someone for what I'm doing at home -- because if I go back to work, we will have to. That number sounds about right.

Answer 9

good grief I agree. I have two kids and work full time outside the home. When I get home in the evenings I work several hours in the house but I could work all day. It is definitely a full-time job

Answer 10

i think it is a little inflated. i was a stay at home mom for a year after my first child -- i will admit i did a lot of laundry, cooking, even some cleaning. What salary.com doesn't count is the time i spent watching oprah and taking naps!!!