The work done each year by a typical stay-at-home dad is worth $128,755 in annual salary, according to a study by Salary.com.
That’s 2.7 percent higher than last year, but still more than $9,000 less than the services provided by stay-at-home mothers.
The survey of 6,500 fathers also found that fathers who work outside the house provide $72,000 worth of housework services.
Meredith Hanrahan, Salary.com’s chief marketing officer, said dads contribute a lot, though some could say they fall short.
“The findings do indicate that while dad’s worth is substantial, he is still playing catch-up to mom,” she said.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are 159,000 dads who made the choice to stay at home in 2006. Meanwhile, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates there were 5.6 million stay-at-home moms in 2006.
In the survey, the company determined the top 10 parts of a dad’s job description. Each was given a dollar value based on hours worked.
The top 10 jobs for stay-at-home dads, in order of time spent, were:
- Day care center teacher
- Computer operator
- Cook
- Van driver
- Facilities manager
- Psychologist
- Chief executive officer
- Groundskeeper
- Laundry machine operator
The stay-at-home dads reported spending 80.2 hours a week on his duties. Stay-at-home mothers reported taking 91.8 hours a week.
For working parents, the rate was 38.7 hours to 49 hours. In calculating value, Salary.com gave women overtime rates for those nine extra hours.