Nine in ten Irish people underestimate the monetary value of a stay-at-home parent which has been estimated at nearly €44,000.

This is one of the primary findings of a recent survey from protection specialist Royal London, which found the average salary value people would place on the role of a stay-at-home mother or father was €27,500, while wage figure estimates suggest the actual amount could be nearly €44,000.

Royal London considered the duties of a stay-at-home parent and researched the cost of replacing the jobs they do for the family and in the home. They included some of the ‘top jobs’ parents carry out on a weekly basis such as cooking, cleaning, driving children to their various activities and so on, and the average work-place costs associated with these duties. Royal London’s calculations reveal that the cost to employ someone to do the household jobs normally done by a stay-at-home parent would be an estimated €43,934.

Ms. Murphy spoke of the contrast between perception and reality when it comes to remuneration for the myriad of jobs carried out by a stay-at-home parent: “The average expected salary of €27,500 is significantly lower than the €43,934 we estimate as the economic cost of a stay-at-home parent, and lower again than the €47,596 reported by the CSO as the average earnings of a person in full time employment during 2018.”