The $$$ Value of a Stay-at-Home Mom is...

[Vince Frantz]

The $$$ Value of a Stay-at-Home Mom is $117,000 per year according to a new study by funded by Salary.com

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife ... salary.ap/


I know a lot of times people feel like they need two incomes to maintain their lifestyle, but the notion that stay-at-home parents could make more if they went into the workforce is a sham that is eroding the middle class.

A lot of people have a vested interest in seeing both parents working. More Income Tax collected, more consumers, more services are needed (as the article outlines).

But the losers are the kids and the middle class as a whole.

[ryan costa]

Women are now empowered by everything a woman does. http://www.theonion.com/content/radio_n ... powered_by

girls generally perform better than boys in middle school and high school. as a result they also go to college more. The post-industrial economy is all about college degrees. college degrees are expensive.

[Vince Frantz]

Ha ha - That was great.

girls generally perform better than boys in middle school and high school. as a result they also go to college more.

Girls do better in school for sure. This is a problem. (not that girls do better - but that boys are not engaged).

Good synopsis of how the shift to two incomes poses a great danger to the average family:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVL7QY0S8A

[Corey Rossen]

The value is...priceless.

Corey

[ryan costa]

they say in japan most women stop working full time after having children.

There's less for wives to do at home these days. With running water (hot and cold), microwaves, gas or electric stoves, clothes washer and drying machines, clothes that can just be thrown out and replaced, no farm work to do, etc.

If they stayed at home all day, most kids would get back from school to find their mothers chain smoking cigarettes, watching soap operas, and maybe drunk. women need work outside the home to keep them out of trouble.

[Phil Florian]

So, does this mean stay at home moms can claim a loss of $117k on their taxes every year (adjusted for cost-of-living, I would assume) since this theoretical money isn't there? How about the working family who shares responsibility for raising the children, cleaning the home, paying the bills and gives (un)conditional love? Since our combined income isn't even the cost of one stay-at-home mother, can I claim this as a loss of income, too?

I think a stay at home dad's value would be, oh, $143,000 or so. Just saying. Glass ceiling and all.

[ryan costa]

So, does this mean stay at home moms can claim a loss of $117k on their taxes every year (adjusted for cost-of-living, I would assume) since this theoretical money isn't there? How about the working family who shares responsibility for raising the children, cleaning the home, paying the bills and gives (un)conditional love? Since our combined income isn't even the cost of one stay-at-home mother, can I claim this as a loss of income, too?

I think a stay at home dad's value would be, oh, $143,000 or so. Just saying. Glass ceiling and all.

you gotta wonder where they get the numbers from. Maybe from both the cost of sending the kids to daycare/preschool plus hiring a full time maid. daycare is expensive cuz the daycare providers have to have special training and licenses and stuff. It's usually in a commercial building so that adds to the expense. they probably have to purchase extra liability insurance. the Maid part is self-rewarding: most of the stuff in a house usually belongs to the woman anyways, and she is more concerned about it being clean.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

My psychology teacher said that the toughest job in the world is to be a stay-at-home parent.

food for thought.

[Valerie Molinski]

Two thoughts:

1. No woman has commented in this thread

2. Some of the comments in here (be it tongue in cheek or no) are kinda dumb and bordering on misogynistic.


That is all.

[Danielle Masters]

Well I guess since I am a stay at home mom I can comment.

First off there is no way that we could afford for me to go to work. Next year all of my children will be in school full-time yet I have no intention of going back to work. Sure a lot of the technoligical advances make a housewife's work easier but I still do a lot on a regular basis. Taking care of, cleaning up after and feeding a family of 7 is probably more that a full-time job. I love being home in the afternoon when my kids get home. I like the fact that if one of my kids has to stay home sick it doesn't affect my schedule. I like that I have time to make meals and don't have to worry about grabbing fast food on the way home from work because of activities. I will say we "sacrifice" somethings by having me stay home but some of those things are related to having a large family. We don't have the newest of everything. The kids can't always do everything they want to do. We really can't go on big family vacations. We don't own a home, but we rent a beautiful place. The fact is I can't imagine working. It doesn't mean I look down on woman who work, I just know for our family me being home is the best choice. I have never had to pay for daycare and I don't think I could. I should also say I know two stay at home dads and they are wonderful parents. My husband has often said he wishes I could work and make enough money for him to stay home, he would love to do that. I do see that we save a lot of money by me being home, but like I said I don't want to make judgements because no one knows what factors go into other families decisions.

[Cathy Frantz]

Perhaps one reason more women haven't commented yet - or at least other stay-at-home-moms - is because we're simply too busy spending time with our children (that is, after microwaving the kids' lunches, loading the dishwasher and folding the clothes that came out of the washing machine).

[Phil Florian]

Two thoughts:

1. No woman has commented in this thread

2. Some of the comments in here (be it tongue in cheek or no) are kinda dumb and bordering on misogynistic.


That is all.

1. Until now.
2. Actually, dumb is probably right but misogynistic...even borderline...is a bit strong.

I think it was best to respond jokingly to this because it is kind of ludicrious is so many ways. Who was this report for, exactly? Was it for oversentive stay-at-home moms whose self-esteem depends on the approval of others? I don't blame such a woman because lets face it, there may still be some people looking down their noses at such a decision (though I haven't seen it, it is surely there...).

Is it for the dad's who don't understand all their wives do for them? This is silly because if someone lived in such a recklessly unbalanced home where the care for the home and children is so tipped towards one person then I doubt a CNN report would change their mind. I say this as a dad who does most of the cooking, grocery shopping and bill paying while my wife and partner in crime takes care of the cleaning and organizing. We try to share everything else.

Danielle said it best...it is too much to make assumptions about what decisions go into a family decision to have one or two working parents. Danielle also wisely pointed out that dads would be just as likely to make good stay-at-home parents. I totally agree with her husband...I WISH I could stay home with my kids all day. How glorious would that be? I did for a bit when they were each born and spent months being a stay-at-home but the financial reality for our family was too costly to go without both working.

I don't think the middle class is suffering because of day care. I think there are likely just as many stay-at-home parents who are horrible parents as there are horrible parents who work. And the same goes for the awesome ones...plenty at home and at work, too. I know plenty of stay at home moms who rock and are like little tornados of activity with their kids, home and community. I also know plenty through my job that sit and watch TV all day while their kids sit with them with the house a wreck. Unlike paid work, there are significantly lower threshholds for keeping your job when a parent. I also know families who overprogram them and their kids...a class, activity, event every night, fast food on the run, and little time to slow down and appreciate what we have in our home, selves and neighborhood. Boil those realities down to dollars, CNN.

The silliest part of this is coming up with a "cost" for "unconditional love." I didn't have kids to save money or make money. I had kids with my wife to have a family and that sometimes means sharing that raising not only with a paid person during the week but also sharing it with the schools, friends, neighbors, family, etc. I am not talking babysitting I am talking knowing that when my child goes to a friends to play that they are in a safe and loving home, too. That when my mom babysits they are in good hands. When relatives get together at holidays they are with good people. The few hours a day that a child spends at day care isn't something that will tear this country or middleclass apart. That is just out and out fearmongering and guilt-inducing.

If we are going to get silly about costs, how much would I be worth if I just stayed home and didn't have kids? Or my wife? What if we both stayed home? We could have more quality time with each other, our friends, take care of our home. I know it wouldn't be $117,000, but gosh, it has to be still a nice 5 figure worth of income.


I love and respect stay at home moms and like Danielle's husband am jealous and wish I could share in that, too. I hate to see it sullied with something as useless as a "cost." There is a funny little piece of trivia that the human body, when broken down for raw chemicals, is worth about 5 bucks. How helpful is that to know?

[ryan costa]

it is ok for mothers to work or to stay home. It is a shame there is a negative stigma attached to either convention. There are costs and benefits to any situation.

on the other hand, most kids should be ok to stay home by themselves when they are sick by the time they are six or seven or eight.

That is also old enough to be packing their own lunches. most bread comes pre-sliced. So are cheese and deli-meats. peanut butter and jelly come in plastic jars, so there is less danger of broken glass.

[Danielle Masters]

it is ok for mothers to work or to stay home. It is a shame there is a negative stigma attached to either convention. There are costs and benefits to any situation.

on the other hand, most kids should be ok to stay home by themselves when they are sick by the time they are six or seven or eight.

That is also old enough to be packing their own lunches. most bread comes pre-sliced. So are cheese and deli-meats. peanut butter and jelly come in plastic jars, so there is less danger of broken glass.

uh, please tell me you are kidding??

actually my oldest child is the only one that I feel is old enough to stay home alone, he will be 12 later this month. And honestly I wouldn't even leave him home alone if he was sick. I know you often joke around here Ryan and I do hope this was one of those times. I do agree though they are old enough to make their own lunches, it gives them a sense of responsibility.

[ryan costa]

actually my oldest child is the only one that I feel is old enough to stay home alone, he will be 12 later this month. And honestly I wouldn't even leave him home alone if he was sick. I know you often joke around here Ryan and I do hope this was one of those times. I do agree though they are old enough to make their own lunches, it gives them a sense of responsibility.

I was being serious. I am a serious guy. Maybe i just peaked early. heh heh heh.