If you were to ask any mother if there's a price tag on being a parent, they would look at you like you're crazy.
Moms everywhere will argue that you can't put a monetary value on motherhood, but a new study thinks you actually can and they have data to back it up.
Salary.com has recently published the results of its annual Mom Salary Survey, to bring attention to the fact that being a stay-at-home parent is one of the most difficult jobs a person can have.
On their website, Salary.com says that they want "to honor all the Moms out there who work their hardest day-in and day-out. We would like to recognize both professional and stay-at-home Moms on their unwavering dedication to their families and other responsibilities."
The researchers gathered information on a "handful of jobs that reflect a day in the life of a mom," and tallied up the total medium annual salary using the company's Salary Wizard tool.
The 2018 results indicated that stay-at-home moms should earn an annual salary of $162,581, based on a 96-hour work week.
Salary.com describes stay-at-home parenting as a "hybrid job," that includes day care center teacher, coach, CEO, dietitian, bookkeeper, event planner, interior designer, janitor, tax accountant, judge, photographer, psychologist, executive housekeeper, laundry manager, staff nurse, tailor, art director, social media expert, and more.
Over the last few years, the site's salary estimates have increased by the thousands. In 2017, the amount was $157,705, which was up from $143,102 in 2016.
In 2017, WUSA 9 asked their Facebook followers if these figures were fair or were they too much, and the opinions were divided.
One person thought the salary "way too much," adding that "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."
A more supportive user wrote: "I am not a SAHM, but I know some that are worth every penny and more," one woman commented while another said, in a similar vein, "It should be more than that, not only what we do but how much we spend on these kids!"
