Moms Are Seriously Underpaid

Originally Published August 6 2006

Toronto Sun Media

Moms Are Seriously Underpaid

I was just surfing around on my computer happily when I came across an interesting statement; Moms who stay at home to raise their children should make $134, 121 a year…in USD.  The study, which was performed by two separate entities, was calculated based on the earning power of the ten components that mainly comprise a mother’s role.  These are as follows:  Housekeeper, day care teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, chief executive and psychologist.  Not to mention the fact that the average stay at home mom works an average of a 91.6 hour week. 

Finding this a most intriguing study, I decided to compile some data of my own.  Until February of this year, I had been a full time stay at home mom for eight years.  At the time that I left my then gainful employment, I was the mother of two darling children with one on the way.  A month before she was born, we bought our house and moved to Cambridge.  So, in those eight years I have been all of the above mentioned jobs holder in our household, with a few extra entries.

Detective, chef, baker, performance artist, artistic director, sport coach, public relations liaison, tutor, accountant, health and safety administrator, masseuse, nurse, personal support worker, hygiene technologist and escort (lets face it, it’s not all about the kids!).

I have also in those eight years produced two additional children, adding to the overall magnitude of duties. 

If I were to add up those eight years according to the studies provided by this wonderful website I would have earned a total of $191, 983 annually, totaling $1,535,864 over eight years.  This is to say nothing of overtime (newborns don’t sleep much, flu season is definitely overtime) and vacation pay.  Although we moms just take our regular duties with us on vacation and do them in a smaller environment with higher costs. 

I find this hilarious.  What a great way to have a good laugh and yet feel ever so slightly depressed at the same time!

Mr. Harper is about to give me an additional $1200 a year for childcare (but only to the child that I have under 6).  Me thinks he hath slightly underestimated his calculations. 

It’s not just us moms getting the shaft here, there are a growing number of stay at home fathers whom I am sure would not want to miss out in what could be the most rewarding career they’ll ever have, not only emotionally but fiscally as well.  I am sure my friend Craig Williams would raise a hearty agreement to that. 

Unfortunately for me, I have this year returned once again to the workforce.  Even though it’s only part time, I am sure that the government would justify this as a disqualification for the stay at home mom revenue endowments that have mentioned.  But doesn’t the government add a compounded amount of interest to any taxes that we leave outstanding for the smallest amount of time?  I believe they do!  That of course would bring my total (if the interest were based on the 6% average interest for say, home ownership) to a whopping $1,628,015.80!!!

And so Mr. Harper, forget the money geared to placate, but not really help, your voting parent’s country wide.  I’ll just take the 1.6 million and call it a day.  Who knows, it might even get all the kids through university…well, I can dream can’t I?