Being a stay-at-home parent is a ton of work that often goes unrecognized. A new study shows how much they would be earning in a traditional job with similar hours and responsibilities.
Often Thankless
Being a stay-at-home parent is a choice that every family has to make together, but it’s a tricky thing to navigate financially. The unfortunate thing is that all of the labor that stay-at-home parents goes unpaid.
What Is It Worth?
A new study by Salary.com decided to crunch some numbers and calculate what a traditional job with hours and responsibilities similar to a stay-at-home parent’s would be, and the results might shock you a bit. According to their “Salary Wizard,” the median pay for stay-at-home parents should be $162,581.
Wearing Many Hats
By taking into account the long hours and all of the different roles that a stay at home parent plays, Salary.com decided that was the fair salary. It was $5000 higher than the 2017 assessment.
A Fair Assessment?
It’s safe to say that being a stay-at-home parent is a ton of work, and there isn’t always a lot of praise or reward (outside of the pride that comes from caring from your family, of course) for doing the job. In a perfect world, everyone would be fairly compensated for the job that they do.
A Lot Of Work
Stay-at-home parents put in long hours and work hard to care for their families. Wouldn’t it be nice to see them fairly compensated?
Twitter Reactions
Twitter, of course, weighed in, with people cracking jokes about the workplace and fellow employees.
Some People Agree
Some people agreed with the study, pointing out how hard it can be to take care of the kids and the home. Life is hard and parents keep things afloat through sheer grit and patience.
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Others Less So
However, others were quick to point out that this is what they signed up for having a family.
Appreciate Stay At Home Parents
Whether you agree with the assessment or not, it’s safe to say that stay-at-home parents don’t get enough credit for all the hard work that they do. So thanks for keeping the lights on and everyone fed, moms and dads. You guys are the real heroes.
Who’s Going To Pay It?
The lovely part of a theoretical discussion on something like this is how many people take it seriously. Nobody is going to actually pay this, but they use comparisons and other methods to figure it out — IF someone were to pay for this.
So in the end, only Douglas here is paying for it.
Double Dip?
A few other folks wanted to know if it was possible to collect this kind of pay and then the pay they get from their job at the same time. Two income families.
Might seem greedy, but it is trouble to juggle everything, so why not?