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What Is Mom's Job Worth?

Posted on May 04, 2006

Working Mom vs. Stay at Home Mom Salaries For 2006 Are you wondering what mom should be paid for her work as mom? Salary.com has now valuated the "mom job" of both the Working and Stay at Home Mom! We consulted Stay at Home and Working Moms to determine the top 10 jobs that make up a mom’s job description. If paid, Stay at Home Moms would earn $134,121 annually (up from 2005’s salary of $131,471). Working Moms would earn $85,876 annually for the “mom job” portion of their work, in addition to their actual “work job” salary. We found the job titles that best matched a mom’s definition of her work to be (in order of hours spent per week): housekeeper, day care center teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, CEO, and psychologist. New job titles that made the list in 2006 include psychologist, laundry machine operator, computer operator, and facilities manager. The job title of nurse fell out of the top 10 this year. See below for the breakdown of "mom jobs" and the time spent on each job for both the Working Mom and the Stay at Home Mom, as well as their total "mom salary", including overtime: The Working Mom's Salary Mom Job Title Mom's Work Week (hours) Mom's Salary (dollars) Housekeeper 7.2 $3,577 Day Care Center Teacher 7.2 $4,961 Computer Operator 7.2 $5,658 Cook 6.5 $5,191 CEO 4.6 $39,397 Laundry Machine Operator 4.2 $1,964 Facilities manager 3.5 $6,945 Psychologist 3.5 $6,440 Janitor 3.1 $1,827 Van Driver 2.8 $2,223 Total Hours 49.8 $78,183 Mom Base Pay 40 $62,798 Mom Overtime Hours 9.8 $23,078 Total Mom Salary 49.8 $85,876 Average Hours of Sleep 6.4 The Stay-at-Home Mom's Salary Mom Job Title Mom's Work Week (hours) Mom's Salary (dollars) Housekeeper 22.1 $10,980 Day Care Center Teacher 15.7 $10,817 Cook 13.6 $10,862 Computer Operator 9.1 $7,151 Laundry Machine Operator 6.7 $3,133 Janitor 6.3 $3,713 Facilities manager 5.8 $11,508 Van Driver 4.2 $3,334 CEO 4.2 $35,971 Psychologist 3.9 $7,176 Total Hours 91.6 $104,646 Mom Base Pay 40 $45,697 Mom Overtime Hours 51.6 $88,424 Total Mom Salary 91.6 $134,121 Average Hours of Sleep 6.7 Now moms and their families can use The Mom Salary Wizard (hyperlink to new search) to create their own “mom paycheck”. The tool allows moms and their families to price the “mom job”, based on location and mom's personal hours worked in each of the 10 roles. Users can create a hypothetical mom paycheck and mom pay stub, which can be printed and emailed to family and friends for Mother’s Day. “The true value in raising my three young boys and cherishing memorable moments with them is priceless, even while I work more than 20 hours a week professionally,” said Christine M. Brown, a Working Mom from North Grafton, MA. Brown has three boys, ages five, three and one. “It’s challenging but also rewarding to be a parent and Salary.com should be commended for recognizing the millions of Stay at Home and Working Moms across the country.” “People recognize that both Stay at Home Moms and Working Moms carry a heavy load of responsibility and work long hours,” said Bill Coleman, senior vice president of compensation at Salary.com. “It is an eye-opener for many people when they see the real market value of the work moms perform. This year, by adding information about the compensation for Working Moms, we hope to expand the recognition of just how hard all moms are working and of the economic value they bring to society.” "The rewards I have by being there all the time in spite of my own needs are priceless," said Laura Pennington, a Stay at Home mother of three from El Paso, TX. "My children’s well-being and education are my priority, regardless of the daily marathon I face from sun up to well after sun down. It's the greatest job in the world." “We don’t want to add fuel to the mommy-war fire," said Meredith Hanrahan, senior vice president of Salary.com Interactive. "Both moms struggle with keeping the house clean and moms of both types reported making tremendous sacrifices to make their children happy, healthy, and successful. Stay at Home Moms give up the benefits of working outside the home, including extra income, title, and career advancement. Working Moms give up more sleep, time for exercise, and skip lunch to spend quality time nurturing and educating their children. In the end, both claim it was well worth it.” See more facts from the Mom Salary Study >> What Are You Worth For Your Motherly Duties? Additional insights from the 2006 Stay at Home/Working Mom study include: Working moms get less sleep. Working Moms reported getting only 6.4 hours of sleep per night, versus 6.7 for the Stay at Home Moms. The study suggests that in a week, the extra 2 hours that the Working Moms devote to their two jobs results in 2 fewer hours of sleep. Working Moms and Stay at Home moms both spend roughly 4 hours per week nurturing the emotional needs of their kids in the “mom job” of psychologist. The big difference appears to be in the “mom job” of day care center teacher, with Stay at Home Moms reporting an average of 15.7 hours per week and working moms reporting 7.2 hours per week spent on this "mom job." This time to teach their children prompted write-in responses from Working Moms who report being more focused and efficient in their day job so that they can come home and have more time for their “mom job.” Often, Working Moms skip lunch, come in early, and give up exercise in order to save time to be with their kids for homework and other activities. According to one Working Mom, “work is less important and I have less freedom to attend events and work whenever necessary. I have only certain windows in which I can work. I also have become more of a morning person, so that I can work out, go to work, and then be home to see the kids or coach a sport.” Moms work an average of 90 hours a week whether they are a Working Mom or a Stay at Home Mom. Working Moms reported spending 44 hours per week at their "work job" and 49.8 at their “mom job”, a total of 93.8 hours per week. The Stay at Home Mom works 91.6 hours at her mom job. Stay at Home Moms say that they made the decision to stay at home with their children because of factors like high daycare costs, lack of a flexible work schedule, and having the opportunity to see their children grow right in front of their eyes. Both kinds of moms report that the "lower paying" mom role of housekeeper is their most common role Working Moms work 7.2 hours as housekeeper, vs. 22.1 for Stay at Home Moms. Taken together, the three lowest paying roles of housekeeper, laundry machine operator, and janitor represent 29% of the Working Mom's "mom job," but as much as 38% of the Stay at Home Mom's job, suggesting that Working Moms need assistance with these tasks. According to one Working Mom, “I don't keep my house as clean as I would like; I would like to spend more time with my child and husband.”