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Salary.com contributor
5.4 Million Stay-At-Home Moms Wear Many Hats Each Day, Including Daycare Center Teacher, Van Driver, Cook, Housekeeper, Nurse, CEO and General Maintenance Worker
NEEDHAM, Mass.-May 2, 2005-A new research analysis completed by Salary.com reveals that today's 5.4 million stay-at-home moms would earn $131,471 in annual salary, including overtime pay, if paid in cash in addition to the steady flow of rewarding hugs and kisses from their children. Salary.com consulted with a representative sampling of stay-at-home moms before finalizing a list of the top seven job titles that fit the average mom's job description. Ranked in order from most time-consuming to least time-consuming, the list included the titles of Daycare Center Teacher, Van Driver, Housekeeper, Cook, CEO, Nurse and General Maintenance Worker.
The estimated average salary calculated by Salary.com's team of compensation experts for a stay-at-home mom is based on a 100-hour work-week, consisting of six 15-hour days and one 10-hour day. Job titles, responsibilities, and qualifications were considered and weighed on a scale of importance, frequency, and average time spent on tasks per day. Stay-at-home mom median salary assumes that the mother has at least two children of school age.
| How Much Should a Stay-at-Home Mom Earn? | |
Job Title | National Average Annual Salary |
Teacher-Daycare Center | $26,891 |
Van Driver | $30,762 |
Housekeeper | $18,750 |
Cook | $31,099 |
CEO | $612,623 |
Nurse | $56,113 |
General Maintenance Worker | $29,656 |
Base Pay (40 Hours) | $43, 461 |
Overtime Pay (60 Hours) | $88,009 |
Mom's Annual Salary | $131,471 |
"Stay-at-home moms and working moms have a tremendous responsibility in raising their children and in the spirit of the upcoming Mother's Day holiday we recognize all moms and grandmothers for a job well done," said Tim Driver, Salary.com's senior vice president and general manager for consumer products. "We found it extremely difficult to put a true price on an annual salary for stay-at-home moms because they are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week with only a few, if any, chances to relax."
"While I may have given up my salary, benefits and 401(k) to accept the position of stay-at-home mom- a position I can't put on my resume-the rewards of viewing life through my children's eyes has been priceless," said Wendy Schulze, a CPA and stay-at-home mother of two, from suburban Massachusetts. "Besides, after being a stay-at-home mom and honing skills like self-confidence, multi-tasking and attention to detail, I feel confident I could take on any other challenging, but rewarding, job in the future, if I wanted to."
