We all know it’s the most important job in the world, but a new study has attempted to put a price on the value of motherhood. And, at £172,000 per annum, it’s more than what doctors, bankers, or even the Prime Minister earn!
Commissioned by Interflora, the study, questioned 1,000 mums with children under the age of 18, as part of its campaign to champion hard working mums. These are some of the interesting facts they found…. (but us Mums knew this already right?)
- Average mum works 119 hour week and would earn more than the Prime Minster
- Daily ”jobs” include chef, chauffeur, counsellor, teacher, entertainer and personal shopper
The study reveals the average mum works a staggering 119 hours each and every week, with her day starting at 7am, and not finishing until 11pm – longer hours than many perceived ‘high power’ roles. Furthermore, the sheer scope of different jobs a mum is required to carry out in addition to her ‘day job’ or regular childcare duties is staggering. Using government job data*, Interflora has calculated average hourly rates for the most time-consuming ‘mum jobs’, in turn, producing the annual salary**.
- Housekeeper – average of four hours a day @£11.53 per hour
- Head Chef – average two hours a day @£16.83 per hour
- Teacher – average of two hours a day @£17.79 per hour
- Psychologist – average of one hour a day @ £47 per hour
- Chauffer– average of one hour a day @ £12 per hour
- Entertainer – average of one hour a day @£30 per hour
- Personal shopper– average of one hour a day @£12.02 per hour
- Personal trainer – average of one hour a day @£20 per hour
- Lawyer – average of one hour a day @ £48.98 per hour
- Nanny – average of one hour a day @£10.58 per hour
Interflora also asked mums about their challenges and frustrations when it comes to motherhood, with emotional demand (80%) considered the toughest aspect of being a mum, followed by physical exhaustion (69%), and lack of training (37%). Aside from sleep, mums were most likely to miss out on girl’s nights on the town (53%), after-work drinks (42%) and watching their favourite TV shows (40%).
Bethany Day, Brand Manager for Interflora, says: “It’s one of the toughest jobs in the world; the hours are long, you’ll never get a promotion, and most of what you do goes unnoticed, but ask any mum in the world and she’ll tell you that motherhood is also the most rewarding job you’ll ever have. At Interflora we want to celebrate the invaluable contribution mums make and encourage children and partners to show just how much all their hard work is appreciated.
For more information, and a bit of fun, you can work out your own ‘mum salary’ by visiting www.interflora.co.uk/supermum.
*Salary data from The National Careers Service
*Mum salary calculated at average hourly wage x 119 hours per week (x40 hours standard rate and x79 hours overtime charged at time-and-a-half) x 52 weeks.
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