Being a mother may just be the world's most challenging job. Think you can put a price on being a mother? Try $143,102. That's according to Salary.com.
(Editor's note: It must also be noted that we aren't overlooking the stay-at-home dads, however this month is all about the celebration of women and women's history.)
It's important to start of by stating that there is obviously no way to put a price on how much a mother is actually worth. But if you take a closer look at the various hats a stay-at-home mother wears, this number is as close as we will probably ever get to putting a price tag on the job.
When asked on Facebook whether $143,102 was enough compensation for a stay-at-home mom reactions were mixed.
"You cant put a value on wanting to take care of your family; Stay-at-home moms and dads, single moms and dads," said Emily XyKlu.
Lance Hill felt very differently about the topic.
"Way too much," Hill said. "Yes, it is a lot of work and worry to be a stay at home mom. But wealthy people hire a butler for $38,000 annual salary, a maid for $35,000 and lawn care for $20,000 a year. All that together is still much less than $143,000.00."
Michelle McGowan is not a stay-at-home mom but said, "I know some [stay-at-home moms] are worth every penny and more."
A mother has different tasks and roles throughout her journey of raising children. Salary.com separates the tasks and roles into two different categories: traditional mom jobs and modern mom jobs.
The traditional mom jobs consists of the following: housekeeper, cook, day care center teacher, facilities manager, computer operator, psychologist, janitor, van driver, laundry machine operator, chief executive officer, bookkeeper, event planner, general maintenance worker, groundskeepers, interior design, logistics analyst, nutritionist, plumber and staff nurse.
The list for modern mom jobs is even longer: It includes the list above plus -- buyer, athletic trainer, photographer, social media marketing manager, academic advisor, tailor, recreational therapist, coach, tax accountant, judge, public school teacher, teacher vocational, education.
Based off this criteria, the base salary for a stay-at-home mom in 2016 was $48,509 -- for a 40-hour work week. A stay-at-home mom's overtime hours equate to about 52 hours, which averages out to be $94,593. This totals to $143,102.
The research also takes a look at pay for a mother who works outside the home. This comes to a total of $90,223. (Base salary averaged at $52,685 and overtime averaged at $37,538.)
This number is based on the national average and the average amount of time stay-at-home moms spend completing various tasks on the list.
Click here to calculate your own mom salary, based on the area you live in, how many children you are raising and the amount of hours you spend doing each task.
