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Are Stay-at-Home Moms Contributing Less to Society?

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Many stay-at-home moms report feeling guilty because they don’t work outside the home or contribute much financially. According to Medical News Today, some homemakers even develop symptoms of depression, such as low self-esteem, sadness, and insomnia. Society often doesn’t recognize the immense contributions of stay-at-home mothers or the mental toll that caregiving can take. Below we’ll explore the value of homemaking to help highlight the important role of mothers. 

Valuing the Contributions of Stay-at-Home Moms 

Financial Value of Caregiving

Financial Value of Caregiving
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Stay-at-home mothers perform many duties for their families, including cooking, cleaning, raising the children, and driving everyone around. Plus, many moms homeschool their kids or tutor them to improve their school performance. They also serve a crucial role as a household manager, arranging appointments and keeping everything running. 

Studies have shown that if you tried to assign a dollar value to this labor, it would be worth $140,315 per year. That’s far more than the median household income of $80,610, underscoring the incredible work stay-at-home moms contribute to their families completely unpaid. 

To replace the labor of their wives, husbands would need a cook or meal delivery service, a full-time nanny, a personal assistant, a housekeeper, and more. Most families don’t have the financial resources to hire out all of this labor, which demonstrates the immense value of the services stay-at-home mothers provide. 

Society Values Stay-at-Home Moms

Society Values Stay-at-Home Moms
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Although many stay-at-home moms feel like they aren’t valued by society, polls indicate that people appreciate the work they do. According to NPR, 31% of survey respondents said that society values the labor women perform at home more than their contributions at work. Only 20% said that women’s contributions at work are more important than homemaking. 

The holidays dedicated to celebrating mothers also highlight society’s appreciation of women’s contributions. Mother’s Day, International Women’s Day, and Women’s History Month all aim to shed light on the social achievements of women, including their crucial roles as mothers and caretakers. 

Benefits for Children 

Benefits for Children
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Stay-at-home moms are able to provide a nurturing, stable, and emotionally supportive environment for their kids. In the first years of life, children benefit from having a consistent primary caregiver to meet their needs. The positive early experiences stay-at-home moms provide may help boost their children’s brain development and reduce their stress levels so they can focus on learning. 

As their kids grow, stay-at-home moms are able to create family rituals that support their children’s mental and physical health, such as consistent mealtimes. Families with two working parents often eat fewer healthy meals together, opting for quick fixes like fast food. 

According to the APA, children’s health and well-being can actually be compromised when families miss dinner and spend less time together. Sitting down at the table as a family can reduce symptoms of anxiety and respiratory conditions in children. This family time also improves children’s emotional connection with their parents and siblings and boosts their nutrition. 

More Women Are Becoming Stay-at-Home Moms 

More Women Are Becoming Stay-at-Home Moms
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If you’re a stay-at-home mom, you’re in good company. More and more women are making the decision to step away from their careers and support their family at home. The percentage of stay-at-home mothers nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023 due to changing priorities. Many women are reevaluating their work-life balance and realizing that staying at home is a better fit for their family. 

Hopefully this demographic shift will help change the narrative about caregiving and make homemakers feel more appreciated. Organizations like the Chamber of Mothers are working to increase representation for moms and ensure they have a voice. 

If you’re a stay-at-home mom, what could society or your family do to make you feel more valued? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Read More:

Raising A Child On A Budget: How To Save Money And Be A Happy Family

Meal Planning For A Family On A Budget

3 Unexpected Options for Stay At Home Moms to Make Extra Money

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side hustles for moms

Perhaps you were a career girl before you had babies. Or you were a young mom and never had a chance to build a working network. Either way, you decided there was nothing more valuable than staying at home to raise your family. Admittedly, however, you’re a little bored or strapped for cash. If you’re wondering how you can make extra money as a stay-at-home, I’ve got three possibilities that aren’t the usual options you’ll find in your Pinterest search. Don’t expect to find blogging on this list.

Bookkeeping

If you think a degree is required to be a bookkeeper, think again. Bookkeeping is a learnable skill if you have an eye for detail. The bookkeeping field has started to change as software (Quickbooks and Xero) has emerged to make it simpler for the small business owner.

However, while the software lends a helping hand, many business owners don’t a) have the desire, b) have the time, and c) want more understanding of what they’re looking at. As a result, you’ll send the bookkeeping field start to shift to a flat fee work from home field, rather than a low paid hourly rate brick and mortar store. This provides you with the flexibility to work from home and stay in control of your schedule. Both essential requirements for stay-at-home moms.

I recommend investing in a course to learn the basics of bookkeeping, as well as learn how to build an online business and find clients. It can be pricey, but certainly not to the level of a semester of college. Bookkeeper Business Launch is a course you should consider. They’ve got a great support community and it’s an overall amazing program. I’ve personally taken it, and as a former CPA, I can recognize it’s value. I highly recommend it if you’re interested in exploring this as an opportunity to build your own business.

Sell Your Own Product

Have you ever dreamed of selling your own product? You can! You can sell anything from wine to supplements to shower curtains with your very own label, all from the comforts of home. This is done via the private label industry.

Private label is the process of working with a manufacturer to produce a product to sell based on your specifications. You add a label on it and sell it directly to the public. You’ll want to stick to basic items that sell well on platforms such as Amazon and eBay. They should be light in weight and not fragile to ensure they ship well.

Once you decide on your product, find a manufacturer. Alibaba is a great place to start. You’ll also want to design a logo, label, and packaging. Finally, you’ll need a platform to sell. Amazon FBA is a popular and simple option. Or you can go all-in and sell through your own website.

Rent Baby Gear

As a stay-at-home mom, you likely have some baby gear at your disposal. You can sell it on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace, but there’s another option you may not have heard of. While not exactly an option that will allow you to stay at home, and requires a bit more flexibility – you can bring your children along.

BabyQuip is a baby rental company set up very much like Uber and Lyft. You provide the baby gear, and they provide the website and marketing. A tourist visiting your town that isn’t interested in hauling a crib, a car seat, and toys on their vacation can go to the website and rent the gear. You deliver the gear based on the hours you’ve set and receive 80% of the rental fee plus a delivery charge.

There’s minimal risk with this business model as the customer pays their order upfront which you can use to purchase any items you don’t have. If and when you decide to quit renting, you can sell your inventory, possibly at break-even. I was a BabyQuip quality partner for a little over a year. During my busiest month, I netted a $700 profit with minimal time investment.

P.s. if you are reading this because you want to find a way for your children to make money, consider reading 49 Easy Ways For Kids To Make Money over at CompoundingPennies.

Have you tried any of these side hustles to make extra money? How did you like it? Let us know in the comments below.

Read more:

7 of the Best Ways to Make Money on the Side With a Full Time Job

How A Side Hustle Can Save Your Family’s Budget

Get Some Extra Cash: 9 of the Best Ways to Make Money From Home

Start a New Business: Franchise Opportunity at Working Mums

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working momMany new mothers hate the thought of having to go back to work after their maternity leave finishes. Not only do they feel guilty about leaving their child with child minders they worry about missing those important firsts, steps, words and the rest.

Staying at Home is Not an Option

For many part time work is not an option, their wage does not cover the child care costs so many are turning to franchise opportunities to allow them to earn enough to live on but also the flexibility to spend time with their children and fit work in with their child’s needs. While franchise opportunities have a number of advantages they also have a few disadvantages which you need to consider. More information about franchise opportunity can be viewed at www.workingmums.co.uk and this of course will be even more relevant if you happen to live in the UK.

The Advantages

The main advantage is of course that you fit your work around you, your children and your lifestyle. Others include the fact that the ‘parent company’ or franchiser will give you support throughout the term you choose to work, they provide a proven business strategy, training and help you advance if you wish.

They will also give you a brand name and as such you will benefit from their advertising campaigns and they will allow you access to existing suppliers making it easier for you to build up your business to a level you feel comfortable with. On top of all this you are your own boss, you work the hours you want and the way you want. You can also keep your business small or build it up depending upon what you want from it.

The Disadvantages

While this sounds great it is important to remember the disadvantages of franchise opportunities before you commit to one. The main one people come across is the fact that the cost of buying a franchise maybe higher than they first thought. After buying the initial franchise you pay management service fees and any profits you make are shared with the franchiser.

Many franchisers also place certain restrictions on how you can run the business meaning it might not be possible to adapt your strategy to the local market. While you maybe safe working for a big business it is not uncommon for them to go out of business leaving you with no job at a moment’s notice, although the same could be said for any job.

Have you ever considered operating a franchise? Why or why not?