Korean Job Discussion Forums

Real Reality · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Location: Seoul

A full-time stay-at-home mother would earn $134,121 a year if paid for all her work, an amount similar to a top U.S. ad executive, a marketing director or a judge, according to a study released Wednesday.

To reach the projected pay figures, the survey calculated the earning power of the 10 jobs respondents said most closely comprise a mother's role -- housekeeper, day-care teacher, cook, computer operator, laundry machine operator, janitor, facilities manager, van driver, chief executive and psychologist.

On average, the mother who works outside the house earns a base pay of $62,798 for a 40-hour at-home work week and $23,078 in overtime; a stay-at-home mother earned a base pay of $45,697 and $88,424 in overtime, it said.
By Ellen Wulfhorst, Reuters via YAHOO!News (May 3, 2006)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060503/ts_nm/life_work_dc

Do you agree with this calculation: $134,121 per year?
WHat might be some problems with this amount or calculation?

Manner of Speaking · Joined: 09 Jan 2003

First of all, it's sexist.

Why is it a "stay-at-home mother" and not a "stay-at-home parent"?

Second, these kinds of calculations ignore the unpaid contributions working fathers (or mothers for that matter) make to the household as well -- in terms of home repair, house maintenance, security, etc.

Third, regardless of the dollar value of work done by a stay-at-home parent...what is the point of estimating its dollar value if nobody is going to pay them for it? Who is going to pay them for the estimated value of their work? The government?

Are you willing to let your tax dollars subsidize every stay-at-home parent to the tune of $150,000 a year? Not me.

Fourth, nobody forced stay-at-home parents to choose their occupation. If they chose an occupation that essentially brings in zero income, that's their decision. It's also the reason why many people would prefer to have an income and a career rather than to be a stay-at-home parent.

(I would admit that depending on personal circumstances, some individuals didn't have a choice and had to become stay-at-home parents. But by the same token, many people who have full-time jobs also do so because they don't have a choice...they have to work, whether they want to or not.)

shortskirt_longjacket · Posted: Wed May 03, 2006 7:24 pm Post subject:

Dude, chill. Drop the D.

No one is saying that the gov't should pay stay-at-home moms (parents). It's just saying that if you were paid for every task that you did, this is approximately how much money you'd make.

And it doesn't have to take into account the unpaid things that the dad does because that's not what they're trying to calculate.

The point of the thing is to say that if you outsourced every single task that the stay-at-home mom does, this is how much you would spend. If you did not drive your own kids to soccer practice, if you didn't cook or clean or manage the household at all, that's how much it would cost to hire someone else to do it for you.

I think it's nice to look at the "value" of a stay-at-home parent in monetary terms because sometimes it's a thankless job. It's nice to see it's actually "worth" something.

Kuros · Joined: 27 Apr 2004

mithridates · Posted: Wed May 03, 2006 10:10 pm Post subject:

I assume that some of the problems with the calculation would be that they did it at a rate equivalent to people who have been working full time in their respective fields for a number of years. For driving someone from A to B for example a professional driver will show up, pick people up, drive them to their destination and let them out. With a mom there's the chance she'll refuse to do so if you haven't been good enough, her mood isn't so good, too busy with something else more important etc. and there's no spare mom to pick up the slack like there would be a spare driver in the case of a real driving service. Also no refunds from the mom if they're constantly late.

Manner of Speaking · Joined: 09 Jan 2003

canuckistan · Posted: Wed May 03, 2006 11:20 pm Post subject:

I think the reason some one has calculated the $ value of a stay-at-home mom is because it's often looked down upon as not being "work" or as worthwhile/validating as a career. All these things women do at home are so often taken for granted and dismissed as being "easy".

In Quebec if a man stays home to take care of the children while his wife works he's often called "un homme rose"--"a pink man" which is a derogatory term. Staying home is still viewed as being less valuable than going out and working--especially for men.