The "cost of working"

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-08-2006
The "cost of working"
961
Thu, 03-15-2007 - 2:08pm

I have been reading a lot of articles on this issue which claim that the cost of working is not worth your salary. One article claimed that it isn't worth it for a mom to work unless she is making at least 70K a year.
I don't see it at all. They cite things like work clothing, lunches out (instead of making your own at home), and gas.
The way I see it, gas money is always something you are going to need. When I wasn't working, I always went out and did things to combat boredom. Not only that, but there were errands to run. And if I did stay home with my children, I don't think I'd just want them at home with me all day just so I can save on gas (or just taking them along on errands). I'd want to take them fun places and do fun things. I would need gas to do that.
Work clothing is a null issue for me. We have to wear polo shirts with our logo and black or khaki pants. Pants I have always gotten at thrift stores. The company gives us the shirts, and if we want more than they give us, the shirts are $18. (Big deal).
As far as lunches go, I bring my lunch not to save money, but because our cafe is horrid and there isn't anywhere to really drive to on our lunch breaks. I only eat in the cafe on break if it's an emergency. I don't even like walking past it because of the smell.
It just doesn't seem to me like the "cost of working is not worth my salary" thing will really fly in my own life. I already know that I make more than the cost of daycare, anyway. I would only be breaking even there if I had three or four kids.

Does anyone else just not know where people get these equations?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 12:57pm

all of this i understand and appreciate. the keys here are that you are saying that (1) you could do all this while woh (given the right work environment) and (2) what you are doing is making your family's ability to accommodate your dh's work demands easier--not that you are making his sucess possible.

it's not at all that i don't understand the advantages to having a sahp. nor is it, as another poster seems to think, that i don't understand that sometimes it is best to divide childcare responsibilities inequally. all that i don't understand is how having a *sahp* can be a *necessary* part of a woh spouse's career sucess.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:09pm
this is what both of us did. both of us are looking forward to taking on more challenging (and better paying) work in the future, but neither one of us want to work long hours while our children are living in our home, and both of us are more comfortable when share responsibility for supporting our household and when we both are engaged in work we enjoy. i suspect my feelings are a bit more like your dh's and my dh's are a bit more like yours, but we are both enjoying our current lifestyle.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:22pm

<< I can't think of a nicer way to say this, so please don't take offense, but in my book, any parent who would not spend any more time with her kids if she were given another 40+ hrs/wk with them is not a very involved parent.>>


So basically I should pull my children out of school and their activities so I can be a more involved parent? Because that is what it would take for me to spend more time with my kids in those extra 40 hours a week.


Since I choose not to homeschool them and allow them their activities, then I am not an involved parent?


PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-21-2001
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:26pm

That's pretty much what I mean.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-21-2001
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:28pm
I would say that men are viewed similarly, if not worse.
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2003
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:29pm

i think this whole thing keeps getting hung up on tangents. the issue isn't whether there is a single figure that applies to everyone, or whether the $1m estimate is realistic, or whether dual-income have the money to show for deciding not to have a sahp, or whether a family with a sahp considers the trade-off worthwhile. the gist of the matter is that the simplistic economic "cost" of working in the sah/woh context is ( - childcare costs), and while this *might* be less than $0, the simplistic economic "cost" of sah (net salary - ) *always* is $0 or less.

to me, the real kink is that so many people seem to think of sah as "saving" their family childcare costs in the same way that some people think of "saving" money when they buy something on sale. that isn't to say that the "cost" of sah or of a sale item can't be very much worthwile, but the cost is still a cost--the "savings" is dependent on paying the "cost."

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-17-2003
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:37pm

I have 3 small children and I've been home full time since #1 was born. I can't think of a time that I've had to interact and entertain any of them for 6 straight hours. Even all three together isn't that much. Maybe I'm just lucky that my kids play independently so well. And all of them, so far, have napped until age 4 or so and after that they spend a few hours a week at preschool, play dates, other activities. Until recently I haven't had much help (recently DH became a WAHD- which is fantastic) and I've suffered almost no kiddie overload.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:39pm

But it's also not an either/or situation.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-29-2004
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:41pm

<>

Either these are about the same thing, or there's some hair splitting going on here.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Thu, 03-22-2007 - 1:42pm

I completely understand her comment about PTA. I have seen it happen. She needs something to occupy her time and she needs to be in charge. She is a chief. Or as my Dad used to call my Mom, a tour director.

IME, when there are too many Chiefs/Tour Directors at PTA things get a little out of hand. TO have a well run PTA you always need a few though. My niche in that realm is "man Friday".

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