2006 Stay at Home/Working Mom Study Additional Insights

Additional insights from the 2006 Stay at Home/Working Mom study include:

• Working moms get less sleep.

Working Moms reported getting only 6.4 hours of sleep per night, versus 6.7 for the Stay at Home Moms.
The study suggests that in a week, the extra 2 hours that the Working Moms devote to their two jobs results in 2 fewer hours of sleep.

• Working Moms and Stay at Home moms both spend roughly 4 hours per week nurturing the emotional needs of their kids in the “mom job” of psychologist. The big difference appears to be in the “mom job” of day care center teacher, with Stay at Home Moms reporting an average of 15.7 hours per week and working moms reporting 7.2 hours per week spent on this "mom job."

This time to teach their children prompted write-in responses from Working Moms who report being more focused and efficient in their day job so that they can come home and have more time for their “mom job.”
Often, Working Moms skip lunch, come in early, and give up exercise in order to save time to be with their kids for homework and other activities.
According to one Working Mom, “work is less important and I have less freedom to attend events and work whenever necessary. I have only certain windows in which I can work. I also have become more of a morning person, so that I can work out, go to work, and then be home to see the kids or coach a sport.”

• Moms work an average of 90 hours a week whether they are a Working Mom or a Stay at Home Mom.

Working Moms reported spending 44 hours per week at their "work job" and 49.8 at their “mom job”, a total of 93.8 hours per week.  The Stay at Home Mom works 91.6 hours at her mom job.
Stay at Home Moms say that they made the decision to stay at home with their children because of factors like high daycare costs, lack of a flexible work schedule, and having the opportunity to see their children grow right in front of their eyes.

• Both kinds of moms report that the "lower paying" mom role of housekeeper is their most common role

Working Moms work 7.2 hours as housekeeper, vs. 22.1 for Stay at Home Moms.

• Taken together, the three lowest paying roles of housekeeper, laundry machine operator, and janitor represent 29% of the Working Mom's "mom job," but as much as 38% of the Stay at Home Mom's job, suggesting that Working Moms need assistance with these tasks.

According to one Working Mom, “I don't keep my house as clean as I would like; I would like to spend more time with my child and husband.”

What Are You Worth For Your Motherly Duties?



About Salary.com

Salary.com is a leading provider of compensation solutions providing data, applications, and services to enterprises, small businesses and individuals. The enterprise software helps companies manage their compensation expenditures with real-time, decision-ready data and analytical tools. Backed by a team of more than 30 Certified Compensation Professionals, Salary.com is your partner in compensation.