This Mother’s Day, give Mom what she deserves: $94,000
When you add up the economic value of all of Mom's roles, that bouquet of flowers just doesn't seem like enough.
If motherhood was a paid position, Mom would be making approximately $94,000 this year as demand for her services during the COVID-19 pandemic has gone through the roof.
According to an analysis of federal wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics by Insure.com, its 10th annual “Mother’s Day Index” shows how much common household duties like driving the kids and cooking meals would pay.
Related: Women are working more, at home and on the job
“Each year, Insure.com takes the time to recognize all that mothers do for their families,” writes Jennifer Shelton of Insure.com. “Work that is often physically, emotionally, and mentally draining – yet deeply rewarding. But unlike jobs that start with a timeclock, this work doesn’t stop and doesn’t come with a paycheck. So, the moms at Insure.com wondered, ‘How much would a mom’s job be worth this year?’”
Shelton reported that while inflation was at 2.2 percent this year, there was still a 32 percent increase in the maternal salary from last year.
Some of the duties that saw the largest increases in compensation include:
- 16%: Taxi drivers and chauffeurs
- 14%: Private detectives and investigators
- 14%: Counselor
- 14%: Laundry
Others stayed flat or actually decreased:
- 2% – Baker
- 1% – Meeting and party planner
- 0% – Childcare worker
“The U.S. economy was certainly moving in the right direction before COVID-19 began its sudden and drastic impact on unemployment, businesses and the stock market, so I’m not surprised to see such strong gains,” said Insure.com’s senior consumer analyst, Penny Gusner. She added, “”We’ve expanded the amount of jobs this year to really encompass all that moms do, and I think it’s finally starting to show in the numbers. It’s a metric that people really respond to and can understand how much work it truly represents.”
The website noted that one doesn’t have to be a mother to be a primary caregiver, which is the role that the index actually measures.
“While it’s released for Mother’s Day, Insure.com’s Mother’s Day Index should be thought of as ‘The Primary Caregiver Index,’” Gusner said. “We realize that families come in all shapes and sizes. Maybe dad is the primary caregiver. Maybe it’s a grandparent. Whoever it is in your family, we want to celebrate that person’s role by acknowledging all he or she does, and by stressing that a financial safety net can be well worth the cost.”
It also said that the COVID-19 pandemic increased certain roles, such as home education. “With schools closed across the country–many for the rest of the academic year–moms have taken on the role of primary educator, helping children navigate a new world of packet work and digital classrooms while worrying about grades, testing standards and how to mute on Zoom meetings,” Shelton wrote.
Some of Mom’s other duties include being a judge (involved in dispute resolution between siblings), a counselor, a laundry worker, a nurse, and activity planner.
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